Lanka lacked courage and consistency

It seems that Sri Lanka's Test cricket has dropped to its worst ever levels in recent times, suffering two successive innings defeats in the recently concluded series in India.

If not for the high-scoring drawn first Test, Sri Lanka would have emulated its previous record for their worst ever series defeat. My mind goes back to Sri Lanka's three-Test tour of India in 1993.

On my way back home after covering the 6th South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I made it a point to witness Sri Lanka's First Test against India in New Delhi. It was an utter disappointing performance with Sri Lanka losing by an innings.

Not only the First Test but also the other Two Tests in that 1993 tour brought nothing but defeat for Sri Lanka. The Lankan team lost all three Tests by an innings in that 1993 tour of India.

Playing India on their home soil is always a difficult task. But that does not mean a poor performance and two successive innings defeats are pardonable.

Healthy looking

Perhaps, Sri Lanka would have been carried away by their performance in the First Test in Ahamedabad. However, there too, Sri Lanka's bowlers performed poorly. Batting first India made a healthy looking 426 all out but Sri Lanka fought back to make 760 for 7 in their first innings.

It was that majestic innings of 275 by former captain Mahela Jayawardene and centuries by Tillakaratne Dilshan (112) and wicket keeper bat Prasanna Jayawardene (154 n.o) that made the difference as Sri Lanka took the first innings honours.

From the conclusion of the first innings of the First Test, the entire Three-Test series was a total disaster for Sri Lanka. India shattered even the slight hope Sri Lanka has had as the home team mustered 412 for 4 in their second essay.

Despite an equally good performance by their opponents, Sri Lanka would have taken things lightly and overestimated their batting after that mammoth first innings total, their highest ever Test total in India.

Perhaps, Sri Lanka would have reached Kanpur for the Second Test with those sweet memories, underestimating the true potential of the home team. But what happened at the end was something Kumar Sangakkara and his men never even dreamt of.

First three batsmen

The first three batsmen in the Indian top order - Gautham Gambhir (167), Vivendra Sehwag (131) and Rahul Dravid (144) made merry against the Lankan bowling as India scored a massive 642 all out. In reply, Sri Lanka were bowled out for a hopeless 229 and were forced to follow on.

Sri Lanka failed to take a lesson after the first innings batting debacle and surrendered meekly as the visitors were shot out for 269 in the second innings, giving India a creditable innings and 144-run victory at the end.

Sri Lanka's batsmen were all at sea against some intelligent bowling by India. Playing only in his 16th Test, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth from Kerala gave Sri Lanka a testing time in the first innings to finish with 5 for 75.

Sri Lanka's fans back home thought that their team would learn a lesson from their pathetic batting in Kanpur and would paint a different picture at least in the Third Test. But it was not to be as Sri Lanka suffered another humiliating defeat in the Third Test played in Mumbai. Dilshan continued his form scoring his second century in the series as Sri Lanka made 393 all out.

Young Angelo Mathews seems to be making the best use of every opportunity he gets. When the Lankans were reduced to 188 for 4, it was Mathews who made the difference and made sure the visitors would come close to the 400-run mark. But Mathews missed that well deserved century as he became a poor victim of that '99 Club'.

An unfortunate run out prevented Mathews reaching what would have been his maiden Test century. Nevertheless, the youngster has a bright future and is an asset to Sri Lanka cricket.

But our bowlers could not contain the free scoring Indian batsmen as the home team putting another huge total on the board - 726 for 9 declared. That included a superlative innings of 293 by Sehwag. M. Dhoni who came in at No.7 also cracked an unbeaten century, exposing all weak links and limited 'resources' of the Lankan bowling armoury.

Only bright spot

Trailing by 333 runs on the first innings, the Lankan batsmen, except for skipper Sangakkara, made no attempt at least to avert an innings defeat. The only bright spot in the Lankan second innings was that fighting knock of 137 by Sangakkara. He occupied the middle for 349 minutes in a desperate attempt to stop the Indians tasting back to back innings victory.

Unfortunately, there was no support for Sangakkara. Opener Tharanga Paranavithana did his part reasonably well, scoring a patient 54 in 179 minutes.

The departure of Prasanna Jayawardene for 32 as the sixth wicket was the turning point. Had he been there to support the captain, Sri Lanka would have definitely bridged that 24-runs and made India bat again.

Full credit should go to the Indians for the professionalism they displayed right throughout the series. Especially the young Indian brigade combined effectively with their seniors to give Sri Lanka a bitter experience.

The Indians were simply unstoppable with their far superior batting and bowling. Sri Lanka should only blame themselves for their pathetic performance. They lacked courage and were inconsistent.

When the Indian batsmen were making merry, scoring over 700 runs each in the last two Tests, none of the Lankan bowlers were able to stop the home team's run feast.

Now that the team will step into the limited version of the game, Sri Lanka must forget their Test series debacle and try to regain their lost prestige in the five-match one day international series against India which begins in Rajkot next Tuesday.