HERATH SPINS LANKA TO BIG WIN OVER WINDIES
We had India on the ropes — 2-0 in the T20s and 1-0 in the one-dayers. We had nice momentum, but now we have given them a sniff...
GALLE: Sri Lanka needed less than four days to thrash West Indies by an innings and six runs in the opening Test at Galle on Saturday with Rangana Herath leading the victory charge by claiming his fifth 10-wicket haul. The touring side, who have never won a Test in Sri Lanka, were bundled out for 227 in their second innings in the afternoon session, after being asked to follow on. Herath added three wickets to his previous day’s removal of opener Kraigg Brathwaite (34) after claiming six in the first innings to finish with match figures of 10-147.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 484 vs West Indies 251 & 227 (Blackwood 92; Herath 4-79) RAJKOT: After Kanpur, another furnace like heat in Rajkot is sure to test India and South Africa in the third ODI on Sunday. However, India’s confidence is up after the win in Indore and weather may not weigh them down.
India’s victory to level the series, on the back of skipper MS Dhoni’s belligerent 92 not out, has raised the prospect of an even contest after the first three matches of the series had left one wondering whose home series it is. With spinners Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel also coming together in the absence of the injured R Ashwin, the hosts can again look forward to exploiting their strength.
South Africa are aware of India’s ability to bounce back and how their players can feed on such confidence. However, if there is one area where both teams have struggled, that is in their middleorder, with Suresh Raina and David Miller not clicking.
IDENTICAL BATSMEN
The two left-handers, identical in many ways, find themselves in a hole, paying the price for their miscalculated risks. Raina’s lack of judgement is partly borne out of the fact that he is grappling to come to terms with his new position. Dhoni walking in after him is far more assuring than the other way around as is the case now.
Dhoni had made it clear before the World Cup that he was experimenting with Yuvraj Singh and Raina for the No 4 slot, which the latter sealed for the tournament. Now No 6 is not hugely different from No 4 for a batsman who became successful as No 5. And despite his proven performance at No 3 in the IPL, he had to give up that hope for India in the interests of the team as Virat Kohli took that spot. However, Raina finds his No 6 spot a tad unsettling as he is caught between building the innings first or exploding straightway, which is messing up his shot selection.
Miller’s fleeting appearances on the pitch has nothing to do with the position he plays in, unlike Raina. He is proven at the number STATS M Runs AVG
Overall 220 5503 Middle order (Overall) 176 4718 Middle order (2015) 17 452 Most recent 5 115
Overall 79 1758 Middle order (Overall) 67 60 Middle order (2015) 21 668 Most recent 5 68 FAF DU PLESSIS, on South Africa losing the ODI in Indore
If the medium pacers are having a tough time, the spinners do a good job to restrict the runs and pick wickets. There is overall support
BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR, On India’s bowling in the series
he comes to bat, but his bad time with the bat has been masked by good performances of his team mates. However, he was exposed when his team needed him to stay longer at the wicket, in Indore in the only official match of the series South Africa have lost.
CONFIDENCE INTACT
With his IPL exploits having left an indelible mark and his knock in the World Cup semis against New Zealand still alive, his team is not yet looking at anyone for his position. “We as a team know who your good players are. Dave for us is a very good player—a match winner. As all of us go through the phase where we don’t score enough runs; it is important for the team to make sure we back him. I can tell you from the captain’s point of view because he can change the game on his own. …As a team, we know that he is the best for that position, he can win games for us, and we believe that he is going to come good,” said T20 skipper Faf du Plessis.
In Kanpur and Indore, the losing side couldn’t take control of the last few overs, when action shifts to the bottom half of the batting order. But whoever gets back to form faster is likely to be a decisive factor in crunch moments. 35.73 36.85 34.76 23.00 35.16 35.02 47.71 13.60 H.S 116* 116* 110* 40 138* 138* 138* 36 S/R 93.73 94.75 99.77 92.74 100.2 100.4 111.1 81.92 100 50 0 5 5 1 - 2 2 2 - 35 29 3 - 8 6 1 - 13 11 1 1 7 4 2 1 RAJKOT: Injuries had affected his bowling in the last few months, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s spell at Indore suggested he is back in the groove. The 148 deliveries he has bowled so far in the series against South Africa has showed there is more pace in his deliveries.
The seamer has taken it upon himself to become a more rounded bowler than one who was effective only with the new ball, and had to be kept out in the death overs due to a lack of pace. “I don’t think there has been a change in my bowling role,” he said on Saturday. “The thing I have added is bowling at the death. IPL has helped me a lot, and because of that you have confidence you can bowl well at the death at the international level as well. I have been bowling towards the end in the last few matches and am confident I can bowl at that stage and give something extra as a bowler to the team.”
CONFIDENT
However, he is confident his main weapon is intact. “I don’t think I have lost my swing. If you see in the matches that I have bowled in this series, the ball has swung in the first few overs (but) I need conditions to swing. Being a natural swing bowler, my delivery will swing a lot more than others.
At times when I have not got the ball to swing, I have tried to reverse it,” he said. “It is either swing or reverse, you do get it in any case. Death bowling has improved my confidence as a bowler. If I don’t get wickets at the top, I can get them at the death.”
He has added pace, the yorker and developed reverse swing. “It’s not a conscious effort to become a complete bowler. You always try to improve your skills and on the task given to you,” Kumar said.
Mostly sunny. Temperature to reach 37oC
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