The great Indian dream of a series win on foreign soil starts all overagain as Sourav Ganguly and his men prepare to take on Sri Lanka inthe first of the three Test match series at Galle on Tuesday
13-Aug-2001The great Indian dream of a series win on foreign soil starts all overagain as Sourav Ganguly and his men prepare to take on Sri Lanka inthe first of the three Test match series at Galle on Tuesday.India’s last series win on foreign soil came against Sri Lanka in1993-94, and they would be hoping that the island nation proves alucky destination for them again.The task is extremely tough though, with the absence of SachinTendulkar and VVS Laxman severely affecting the batting strength ofthe Indians. Ashish Nehra, who has been the most effective of Indianbowlers in the last two series, is also out due to injury.Besides, the Sri Lankans have developed into a very balanced side inthe last couple of years and are a formidable force on their hometurf.The young Indian side will also have to leave behind thedisappointment of the recently concluded triangular one-day serieswhere they were defeated in the final by the hosts for their eighthconsecutive loss in a final match.The onus will obviously be on the senior members of the team to notonly lead by example but also motivate the youngsters to play to theirpotential.Ganguly has been under fire for his dubious performances on and offthe field but the captain will need to put aside all controversies tofocus on the goal. In the absence of Tendulkar, he is probably themost charismatic member of the team and his performance will be vitalfor the team’s chances.Also crucial would be the showing of his deputy Rahul Dravid who hasbeen the most consistent of Indian batsmen in recent times. Dravid isa totally transformed batsman after that magical knock in the KolkataTest against the Australians. He has proved he is quite capable ofplaying the big knocks and he would be required to come up with somemore of these on this trying tour. The 40s and 50s just may not beenough.Apart from Ganguly and Dravid, the most experienced batsmen in theIndian side are openers Shiv Sunder Das and Sadagopan Ramesh. The duo,who till the other day were being seen as part of the young brigadeand getting the benefit of doubt for their mistakes, suddenly findthemselves shouldering a lot of responsibility with their performanceunder more critical watch than ever.The youngsters in the team have a godsend opportunity to prove theircredentials and seal a permanent berth in the side. Hemang Badani,Mohd Kaif, Dinesh Mongia and Jacob Martin will be under watch as theytake on the likes of Muthiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. Andtherein would lie the test of their skill and patience.With the veteran duo of Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad back inbusiness, the Indians should not have many worries in the bowlingdepartment despite the absence of Nehra. They bowled beautifully inthe only warm-up game against the Board President’s XI thus provingthat they hadn’t rusted during their absence from internationalcricket.The pitch in Galle is reported to be favourable to fast bowling andwith Zaheer Khan also in the side, the Indian attack seems quitepotent.Harbhajan Singh has become India’s main strike bowler in the last fewmonths and has led the spin attack admirably in the absence of AnilKumble. With Muralitharan leading the charge for Sri Lanka, Harbhajanshould be the ideal inspiration and the battle royale between two ofthe finest exponents of classical off-spin promises to be one of thehighlights of this series.The Sri Lankans have a more balanced side with a fine blend of youthand experience. Sanath Jayasuriya has been an inspiring leader and hisperformance is enough to spur on the youngsters in the side.The veteran left-hander Hashan Tillekaratne, who has been recalled tothe national side after two years, is expected to lend the much neededsolidity to the middle order in the absence of Aravinda de SilvaSri Lanka are likely to play with a debutant opener Michael Vandort.The left-hander has shown a lot of promise and cracked a century forBoard President’s XI in the three-day match.With Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold and Mahela Jayawardene certain toplay, the hosts have a strong batting line-up. It will be a toss-upbetween Romesh Kaluwitharana and Kumar Sangakkara for thewicketkeeper’s slot with the former being the front-runner because ofhis batting capabilities.Their bowling has been boosted by the good performance of DilharaFernando who is the quickest of the Sri Lankan medium pacers. Fernandois almost a certainty to pair Vaas as the new ball bowler.There is a three-way fight for the third seamer’s slot between SureshPerera, Ruchira Perera and Dulip Liyanage and a final decision isexpected only tomorrow.The teams (from):India: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Jacob Martin, ShivSunder Das, Hemang Badani, Sameer Dighe, Mohammed Kaif, JavagalSrinath, Zaheer Khan, Sairaj Bahutule, Rahul Sanghvi, Harvinder Singh,Sadagopan Ramesh, Dinesh Mongia, Venkatesh Prasad and Harbhajan Singh.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, AvishkaGunawardena, Michael Vandort, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene,Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillekaratne, Romesh Kaluwitharana, ChamindaVaas, Suresh Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Ruchira Perera, Dulip Liyanage,Muthiah Muralitharan and Thilan Samaraweera.
