A tour to Sri Lanka by India always evokes memories of their first-ever Test tour in 1985 which marked the country’s first ever Test victory as well as their maiden Test series win. It is a well known fact that Sri Lanka’s energetic and well-organised pre-season training proved decisive - in stark contrast to India’s near total lack of preparation.
Sri Lanka very nearly reached the milestone of their first victory in the first Test played at the SSC, but resolute and dogged batting from Dilip Vengsarkar - and typically tropical weather - denied them the opportunity. Lanka were left chasing 123 for victory in 11 overs and ended up at 61-4. Ranjan Madugalle and Arjuna Ranatunga the country’s young leading lights scored their maiden Test centuries and Rumesh Ratnayake produced the best bowling figures by a Sri Lankan at the time with 6 for 85.
However the second Test played at the P Sara Oval proved the emotive moment for cricket’s then-newest Test nation.
Winning the toss and batting first Sri Lanka put up a slow batting performance on the opening day plodding their way to 168-1 in 89 overs. That the Indians were underprepared for the tour was clear when they grassed seven catches in one of the worst fielding displays in a day’s play. A century by wicket-keeper batsman Amal Silva and a polished knock of 85 by Roy Dias saw Sri Lanka reach 385. Despite half-centuries from Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath, India frittered away their margin of safety when they lost four wickets for 32 runs on the fourth morning to concede a 141-run first innings lead to Sri Lanka giving the home team time to set up a declaration by the fourth afternoon. India were bundled out for 244 by the Lankan seam attack of Asantha de Mel, Rumesh Ratnayake and Saliya Ahangama that exploited the conditions to the maximum capturing nine of the wickets. Dias and Aravinda de Silva hit quickfire half-centuries to enable Duleep Mendis, the skipper to set up a declaration that left their bowlers a whole day to bring about the country’s first Test win.
Sri Lanka picked up the wickets of Rajput, Srikkanth and Vengsarkar for 62 by lunch to put India under immense pressure to stave off defeat. By mid-afternoon India found themselves sliding towards defeat as they lost four wickets for 14 runs within the space of 43 balls as Ratnayake, De Mel and Ahangama scythed into their middle order.
Skipper Kapil Dev with the help of Laxman Sivaramakrishnan carried India to 136-7 at tea and extended their eighth wicket stand to 70 in 85 minutes before De Mel separated them by having the latter caught behind by Amal Silva to give him the fifth catch of the innings and nine dismissals in the match for the second successive time in the series. A defiant 78 by Kapil Dev threatened to deny the home side, but Ratnayake dived and took a smart return catch off his own bowling to dismiss the Indian captain and seal the victory which led to a nationwide celebration and a public holiday the following day. India was dismissed for 198 to give Sri Lanka victory by 149 runs. Silva’s century and nine dismissals in the match was an unprecedented feat by a wicket-keeper in a Test match.
If the second Test was for the Lankan bowlers, the third proved the resolution they had as a batting unit. Set 377 to win at the picturesque Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka stumbled to 34 for 3 before their two most accomplished batsmen - Roy Dias and Duleep Mendis - saved the innings (and the match) with a partnership worth 216. Sri Lanka’s captain and vice-captain swung the game away from India with their amazing counter-attack, and by lunch on the final day there was even a chance that Sri Lanka might score an improbable victory, but a run out ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of achieving the impossible.
Dias and Mendis were involved in a terrible mix up over a single that resulted in both batsmen ending up at the non-striker’s end. Dias had to go for a classy 106. His dismissal sparked a mini collapse as Sri Lanka lost four wickets for 17 runs in 10 overs. Mendis was out for 124 and Arjuna Ranatunga and Roshan Jurangpathy went without scoring as Sri Lanka slipped from 250-3 to 267-7. It was left to Aravinda de Silva and De Mel to steer Sri Lanka to a draw. They did it with a degree of skill and luck with the umpires calling off play 20 minutes before the scheduled close to bad light, giving Sri Lanka their first Test series win.
Throughout the series Sunil Gavaskar an established opening batman decided to bat in the middle order for reasons best known to him. India without his experience at the top never got off to a good start throughout the series. The best stand that Lalchand Rajput and Krishnamachari Srikkanth put together was 39 in the first two Tests. It was after Rajput was replaced by Ravi Shastri for the final Test that India finally produced an opening partnership of over 50.
Kapil Dev struck a sour note when he blamed poor umpiring decisions for his team’s defeat and added, “Sri Lanka are very good here, but I don’t think they will win outside.”
Those words rang true for a decade before Sri Lanka finally broke the shackles to record their first Test win overseas in 1995 against New Zealand at Napier.
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