India's moment of glory in Kandy

The second Test match between India and Sri Lanka at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy will be remembered for a long time. India bounced back to level the series after their dismal loss in the first Test in Galle. The seven wicket trouncing of a fighting home side was the fruits of labour for an Indian side that was willing to believe in itself.

It was heartening to see Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid taking up the responsibility of seeing India through to a victory. The two senior most players in this Indian squad played to the best of their ability; their experience came to good use against a spirited and hardworking Sri Lankan attack.

I have always enjoyed seeing Ganguly bat. He is a player with enormous talent. His determination and the never say die attitude was the crucial factor in India winning the Test match. His deputy Rahul Dravid came good at the number three position, which he had relinquished voluntarily to VVS Laxman in the famous Kolkata Test match against Australia.

I always believed that Dravid is the best batsman at number three for India. The only problem with him is that he gets bogged down due to his self-imposed constraint on strokeplay. Ganguly and Dravid deserve rich tribute for their fantastic effort in Kandy. Before this Test match one wondered whether Sri Lanka would shrug off their poor run at the Asgiriya Stadium. Sri Lanka's track record in Kandy is not at all good and that should have played in their minds too. Another interesting fact was that whether Ganguly would win the toss and what would he do then on a grassy track.

Ganguly for once won the toss and elected to have a bowl first. It was a big gamble to put the opposition to bat first without the services of Javagal Srinath. The gamble paid off rich dividends too as the final result would say.

Sanath Jayasuriya had his strategy well worked out, which was to make sure that Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene would hold fort. The Sri Lankan skipper wanted his bat to do all the attacking. On a wicket tailor-made for seam bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad bowled really well.

Zaheer Khan was the best of the Indian attack and Ganguly deciding to bowl also had a positive impact. The Indian game plan of bowling on one side of the wicket worked perfectly. I was a bit surprised not to see a forward short leg employed; it was a disappointing and defensive tactic from Ganguly.

Mahela Jayawardene is the best batsman amongst the Sri Lankan ranks. His technique is compact and his shot selection is precise. Sri Lanka were not going to be troubled by Harbhajan Singh on a track that did not help the spinners. Harbhajan Singh's lack of experience on such tracks clearly showed and he was only used for a few overs by his skipper.

I watched in utter dismay the events that unfolded on the third day. I was shocked to see Ganguly not attempting to wind up the Sri Lankan second innings. The Indian skipper let Muralitharan add so many runs for the last wicket; Ganguly's tactics defied all common sense and was irritating at times. Reasons for holding back Harbhajan Singh is a mystery that the Indian skipper has to answer for.

Muralitharan's first fifty in Test cricket and Ganguly's reluctance to bowl Harbhajan Singh inducted some life into the Test match, which otherwise would have been over in India's favour much before. Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad did well to have the Sri Lankans on the mat, but Muralitharan was allowed to have fun in the middle for way too long. The fast bowlers on both sides made good use of the wicket. Chaminda Vaas kept the Indian batsmen guessing with his late swing, while Dilhara Fernando and Ruchira Perera unsettled them with pace. I admire fast bowlers who have the ability to make use of the old ball and get the ball to cut off the wicket.

Jayasuriya and Ganguly committed mistakes in this Test match and made it look interesting. Both the teams would have learned a few lessons from the Kandy test. It is time for Sri Lankans to take a stock of the situation; perhaps it was their complacency against a depleted Indian side, which cost them the match dearly. The final Test match in Colombo will be an interesting one.

Having said that, all credit should go to Sourav Ganguly and his boys for winning a Test match abroad and that too under so much pressure. The Indian batting came good when it mattered most, leaving behind the disappointments of the past. The upbeat Indian side will have a good chance of winning the series too, if they can get Atapattu and Jaywardene early. Spectators are bound to get their money's worth, for both the teams have everything to play for in Colombo.