Dav Whatmore: The turning point was the second innings

Dav Whatmore

August 27, 2001

Dav Whatmore National Coach

The turning point in Kandy was undoubtedly the third morning. We had started the day well placed, on 55 for one with a lead of 94, but our grip on the game was loosened, as we lost four wickets for 72 runs in the morning session. Then, in the afternoon, Venkatesh Prasad finished off the job started by Zaheer Khan in the morning.

It's hard to put the finger on what exactly went wrong. India did bowl well. They bowled a consistent line and length and extracted surprising movement from the wicket, which put our batsmen under considerable pressure. The wickets were falling, but the runs weren't flowing and that is always going to lead to strife. Even so, individual batsman didn't play with the responsibility that was demanded. It was almost as if they expected the others to do the job.

There were other important moments earlier in the game too. On the first day, when we lost two wickets just before lunch, to throw away an excellent mornings work. Then, on the second day, when we let Harbhajan Singh smack 42 quick runs and significantly reduce their first innings deficit. These little moments contributed, but it was the second innings batting that lost us the game.

Muttiah Muralitharan did his best to save us with that fantastic innings, just when we needed it most. He has always had good hand-eye coordination, but he used his brains too, selecting which deliveries to hit and cleverly farming the strike, so that Ruchira (Perera) was not overly exposed. He was also paid the biggest compliment that anyone has ever been paid to him as a batsman by Sourav Ganguly, who opted to post all his fielders on the boundary. It's a real shame that we weren't unable to pull off a win for him after his heroics.

We always wanted to post a higher target than 264. The pitch had held together well and was much easier to bat on the fourth day than when we had played England and South Africa. Nevertheless, we felt that the game would be close and we expected it to go right down to the wire.

We were unlucky. Both on the third evening when Chaminda (Vaas) was swinging the ball around and could so easily have nipped out one or two. Then, on the fourth morning, Muttiah Muralitharan was not properly rewarded for the skill he displayed. You can only feel sorry for the poor guy. During his last five Tests, played against England in March and India now, he can rightfully claimed to have taken 15 more wickets than have been recorded.

Fortune aside, Dravid batted exceptionally. He held India together and was both confident and positive. He also ran well between the wickets. He is the one player that stands out from that team, as being really special. We have to take his wicket early at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

In the aftermath of defeat it is important to not make rash conclusions. Wait for the emotions to blow over and then analyse the situation coolly. The fast bowlers did not bowl at their best on the last day, but you cannot be too harsh on them. Apart from Chaminda (Vaas), they have only played a handful of Tests and need greater experience.

The new look formation with a greater emphasis on fast bowlers is undoubtedly the way forward for Sri Lanka, but it is going to take time for the philosophy to work consistently. Individual players, and the team in general, need to become more accustomed to the system. We have to persevere. Yes, we did lose, but not because of the fast bowlers - the game turned in our second innings. We now have to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes again.

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