A Sri Lankan fan reacts after his team slumped to an innings defeat against India at Pallekele in Kandy. AP ohoto
About half an hour after lunch, Dinesh Chandimal stood at the crease in utter disbelief, muted to fathom how the ball had ricocheted off the flap of his pads to the short-leg fielder. He turned back and dragged himself to the pavilion, shaking his head and watching the replay on the television screen, even as the bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, whistled and howled. With Chandimal ended Sri Lanka’s faintest of faint hopes of stretching the match to the fourth day, nay third session of the third day. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
Just before the dismissal, Chandimal and Angelo Mathews had displayed some fight and grit, combining 65 runs in 27 overs, making India wait to uncork their champagne bottles. Significantly, they looked comfortable doing so. Chandimal, the Sri Lankan captain, after the initial jitters, neutralised the variations of Kuldeep by sprinting down the track. He occasionally pulled out the sweep to derail Ravichandran Ashwin’s length.
Even after the break, he had looked firm, though not in a marauding mood as he had two years ago in Galle. The stakes were different.
Here, he had no stakes. Eclipsing India’s massive lead was a Herculean task. The series was already lost. All he, or his colleagues, could accomplish was to reduce the monstrosity of the margin and give a semblance of respectability to their total, the promise of a better tomorrow. Like they orchestrated in the second Test at the SSC.
But, they couldn’t, as their sorry innings ended at 181, with Ashwin snaffling Lahiru Kumara, giving India a massive victory by an innings and 171 runs. In the end, the Sri Lankans seemed relieved that their agony didn’t stretch into the fourth day. Surely, there would be reviews and post-mortems of the abject showing in the series, and there are suggestions that a few heads will roll. Under scrutiny will be a lot of senior players, including Chandimal and former captain Mathews.
In better times, the perpetually optimistic Sri Lankan supporters — a handful had turned up not anticipating a miraculous fightback, but just to show their unwavering backing — would have still furnished some hope after Chandimal’s exit. For Mathews, until a few years ago their redemption man, used to provide them some flickering hope in static darkness. But Mathews seems a man tormented and disillusioned, incapable of lifting himself and inspiring the side. It’s a pity, this was they time they needed him the most. In fact, the best he had looked in this series was on Monday.
He footwork was more fluid, the balance was restored and he was not looking to play with hard hands. He predominantly played on the back foot, getting behind the line of the ball and prudent in leaving. Even though rescuing Sri Lanka seemed too arduous a task for Mathews at least some personal glory was left. He could regain his form before the Pakistan series and the tour to India. Though he’s still regarded an undroppable in the side, given the sheer shortage of talent around, he couldn’t be blamed if he felt a little shaky about his place. Especially after relinquishing captaincy post the ill-fated ODI series against Zimbabwe so that he could focus on his personal skills. Especially after a litany of injuries had rendered him fragile for bowling.
Diminishing returns
The last year has been a damning catalogue of diminishing returns. In nearly two years, Mathews has’t scored a hundred; the last was against India at the SSC in 2015. Ever since, in 17 Test matches, he has managed only 917 runs at 28.65, which is not only substandard for a batsman of his calibre, but also a rude jolt for a Sri Lanka team in transition.
Maybe, all that weighed in his mind when he attempted a loose sweep off Ashwin to be nailed in front of the wicket. The review was but an exercise in futility. For all practical purposes, it ended Sri Lanka’s feeble challenge and the already thin stands thinned out.
In reality though, their hopes virtually ended when a devilish inswinger from Mohammed Shami rapped on Kusal Mendis’ pads. It was another stinging evidence of Shami’s entrapment skills. It was textbook stuff, as he fed him a few outswingers before tailing one back in. Mendis attempted to flick, but the degree of deviation disbalanced him. All this when Mendis was driving so divinely on the front foot.
Shami’s mastery in setting up batsmen is remindful of Zaheer Khan in his prime. It was he who broke a pesky stand between night watchman Malinda Pushpakumara and Mendis, and then piled on the pressure with his incisive bowling. He infused a terminal fear in batsmen that he could get them out any ball. Chandimal conceded that they were roughened up by Shami’s early spell: “He made us feel we are batting in England. The spell up front was brilliant. He made the best use of the conditions.”
But, in fact, the conditions were by no means beneficial to his fast bowlers. It was overcast, but there was little help off the wicket. Shami was schooling them about good’ol seam bowling. And Sri Lanka, as they had throughout the series, couldn’t chalk up plans to counter him. They were naive, easy preys. It was understandable if some of the younger players were outmanoeuvred, but seasoned ones such as Mathews and Chandimal should have come better organised and equipped.
Maybe, as Chandimal reflected, they were stalled by unfortunate injuries and a packed calendar. Maybe, as most people believe, there is a deeper malaise — administrative and structural. But nothing diminishes the fact that Sri Lanka cricket has hit its lowest ebb since its ’90s resurgence.
