I predicted a spirited response from Sri Lanka against India, but they proved me so wrong as they stumbled and bumbled to a humiliating innings-and-222-run thrashing at the hands of a dominant neighbour.
The wicket at Mohali appeared to be the dream track for batsmen as the Indians, led by swashbuckling Rishabh Pant (96), Hanuma Vihari (58), Virat Kholi (41), lower-order batsman Ravindra Jadeja (175 not out) and Ravichandran Ashwin (61) bludgeoned a hapless Sri Lanka attack for over a day and a half, amassing 8-574 before letting the exhausted Lankans in to bat.
The Lankans in their stint appeared to be clueless, turning what the Indians previously feasted on into an inexplicable minefield, as they hopped, probed and prodded their way to a measly 174 all out.
How this game had such contrasting outcomes clearly underlined the stark reality that the top team in the Test rankings and the current leaders of the Test Championship in its infancy have a wide chasm between them.
The Sri Lankan batting was as brittle as never seen for a long time. What was even more confusing was that a subcontinental team did not possess skilled batsmen capable of handling spin, a worrying trend in Sri Lankan teams over the past few years.
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The Indians – realising the weakness of the Sri Lanka batsmen – then added salt to their wounds by toying with them in their second dig, opening with a pace-spin combination, which skittled them out for a similar score.
The ploy was also with the realisation that opener Lahiru Thirimanne has been a bunny of Ravichandran Ashwin in the past.
The man that proved to be a thorn in their flesh was Ravindra Jadeja, who turned in a memorable performance, scoring 175 and grabbing nine wickets to single-handedly impose his dominance on them.
Where to from here is the mountain that looms ahead of them as they try to get the right combinations to avoid further humiliation in the second Test in Bengaluru on March 12.
The worrying aspect is that the experienced batters in the side – skipper Dimuth Karunaratne ranked eight in Tests, veteran Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, and Dhananjaya de Silva – all failed to make worthy contributions and need to lead by example rather than expect newcomers Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka to perform consistently to cover for them.
It was more than a learning curve for the sorry Lankans, who inexplicably undertook the tour of Australia and India without a coach after administrators axed South African Mickey Arthur shortly before they left their shores.
The puzzling decision exposed stand-in coach Rumesh Ratnayke, who will in fairness be excused for insufficient time to prepare a strategy against such formidable opposition.
Sri Lanka has in history been known to lean towards the unconventional. It was a ploy this time that backfired on them badly.
My prediction of a Sri Lanka resurgence from recent performances could well be a far way down the track after the first Test debacle.
Sedz
Guest
Shaking may be better than kiwi Kane not as good as Jadeja. Statistics say Shakib has done well in some conditions with the ball but Jadeja has been consistent through out. With the bat Jadeja and Shakib have same average but Jadeja has always batted at 7 and scored equal amount of runs in fewer matches than Shakib. Also Shakib doesn’t play as many matches against England or Australia and they play minnows. Shakib especially fares low against India, SL and Pakistan .
Sedz
Guest
It’s akin to asking how good is Kane Williamson? Is he better than Marnus ?
Targa
Roar Rookie
Yeah it was Mohali where NZ without Conway (injured hand from WT20) and Wagner (stupidly not selected) managed a draw before getting rolled in the 2nd test. 3 questions: How good is Jadeja? He might end up as good or better than Shakib? Will Dickwella (good player) ever score a test 100? He deserves one and I hope he does before he breaks Warne's record for runs without a century. Why is Kusal Perera not in the SL team? Is he injured?
Sedz
Guest
Had Aussies played against India at Mohali, I'm sure we would see more articles/comments about the intense match that would have panned out. Unfortunately it turned out to be one of the gentle surfaces that batsman can't hate but it may break the back of pace bowlers. As a common cricket fan, I just hope that SL wins the toss and bats first and Aussies do the same as well. Teams have to enforce the results. Aussies did bat at a better run rate than Pakistan. Sri Lanka have to "get the monkey off the back" against India.
Sedz
Guest
I think SL have to improve their domestic structure. One can't complain that coach like Micky would have turned around this game looking at the way SL has played in the last match. They seem to be technically deficient compared to other teams. Sri Lanka had the luxury of having had the best wicket keeper batsman (I know many would disagree, Gilli and Sanga both are true great keeper batsman) and a greatest spinner of all time (Murali and of course Warne is greatest as well). Add to that they had a great run accumulator in Jayawardana in middle order. I am not really sure, if Sri Lanka's domestic competition is weak or they really not finding the right talents to play the game at young age. It is important for cricket to have these teams emerge stronger for the growth of the game.
Shire
Roar Rookie
"the top team in the Test rankings" but this article isn't about Australia????
Tempo
Roar Rookie
Was Mickey Arthur axed? I thought he decided not to extend his contract after getting an offer from Derbyshire. I’m sure the instability in Sri Lanka cricket was a big factor in that though.
Tanmoy K.
Guest
Very true, very poor performance by the Lankan cricketers, Mohali pitch wasn't a poor one for good batting performance. Where is Sanaka, the hero of T20I Series, why he was not included in the Test squad?