World

India vs Sri Lanka: The hosts turn the screw to take total control – Henry Club

March 13, 2022
Bharat Times

Beyond a point, it seemed hopelessly pointless. As if the only motivation for India’s batting was to prolong Sri Lanka’s suffering. It was just the second day of the Test and India could have batted for at least a couple more days if they wanted, but the match was so far ahead that it seemed redundant to bat in terms of results.

By the time India’s lead had crossed 350 at the dinner break, Rishabh PantIn the 50s, visitors were already watching dead horses being killed. Half an hour into the session, India lost Shreyas Iyer For 67, lest they say that they were waiting for his hundred. But no announcement was made until the ninth wicket fell with a score of 303/9, which is now 446 runs. Barring a miracle on the scale of Eden Gardens 2001, the hosts had stitched up the match long ago.

Exaggerating the futility, Jasprit Bumrah swung the ball into the pads of Lahiru Thirimanne in the first over, which was beaten with both pace and speed. Bumrah would continue to trouble the Lankans by swinging the ball both ways, causing him to jump off the surface, grope and stab the ball precariously. Even the determined Dimuth Karunaratne was in the dope when he was confronted, and thrashed twice, once by a nip-backer who was put down and just escaped the off-stump and then another The man was walking away. Joe missed his provocative bat by a narrow margin. Kusal Mendis also suffered – at times he was taken in shots with the odd ball ripping his outside edge.

A brutal short-of-length ball burst into the upper half of his bat, only for the edge to escape the fielder. from the other end, Mohammed Shami The pace kept up and the intensity kept up, coming dangerously close to trimming the off-stump or kissing the outside edge of the bat. How Sri Lanka managed to limit this defeat to just one wicket for 28 runs is a mystery in itself.

The irony was that India’s deadliest bowlers on Turner were the two fast bowlers. Of 11 wickets on both days of Sri Lanka, he took eight (six for Bumrah and two for Shami, at an average of eight). In the morning session, Bumrah took his first five-wicket haul on home soil in his fourth Test, and hid a fraction of the pace and cut the surface, looking like he had lost it. It looked like the pitch had surpassed the day’s decency, but by just a minor margin. Only a few balls misbehaved, placed low still low, or spit in the face of the bat. except the wicket of Virat Kohli, none was consumed by the non-playable. Half-mistake, maybe half-incomplete.

no discipline

Perhaps it was a mirage that was explained by the slow pace of Sri Lanka’s bowling. They were disgusting and loose. Couldn’t put pressure on the Indian batsmen. He played at least two gift-wrapped deliveries in an over, mostly semi-trackers. And when Pant brought the afterburner, he froze before surrendering. Sloppy fielding did not help, as did defensive field placement.

However, the pitch was not as smooth as it appeared. Kohli gets another grubber; Most of the deliveries started with good lengths. Only that Sri Lanka hit two consecutive balls at the same spot hard at once. There was neither a plan nor an objective, as if he knew the match was already beyond his grasp. There was neither accuracy nor incision.

Later, Hanuma Vihari accepted as much for the host broadcasters. “It was very challenging. The kind of wicket where any ball can get you out.” The ball that eventually consumed him was not invincible, he missed just one sweep and was dismissed for 35 runs off 79 balls. Vihari regrets missing out on a big score, so Shreyas Iyer, who looked brilliant playing from the wrong line, has cemented his place.

The only saving grace was that the surface didn’t corrode, or crack. But batting is still a difficult task. Vihari said, “Tomorrow will be challenging for Sri Lanka as well. But even if the pitch turns into a batting beauty, she will still have to interact with Bumrah and Shami in the afternoon. And if they manage to survive them, a trio of spinners await, licking their lips for a more central role in another hapless demolition act.