The Hindu : Lanka `A' prefers to toe safety line

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 26, 2003

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Sport - Cricket

Lanka `A' prefers to toe safety line

By G. Viswanath

Photo: Vivek Bendre

Siddharth Trivedi of India `A' appeals successfully for a leg before decision against Lanka de Silva on the third day of the first Test at Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

Ahmedabad Nov. 25. The third day's play in this first Test match between the second string sides of India and Sri Lanka at the Motera did not bubble with life. The spark that lit up the events when the home team's batsmen were in the middle was altogether absent when the Sri Lankans, trailing by 125 runs, went out to bat some forty minutes before lunch. Understandable was the visitor's determination to ward of danger and choosing circumspection over a bold approach. Their primary concern was not go down in the opening match of the three-Test series. Wiping out the deficit, Sri Lanka `A' was 71 runs with six wickets in hand at stumps on Tuesday.

Clearly a second specialist spinner in the ranks would have turned out to be a valuable ally for off-spinner Ramesh Powar. The surface was batsman-friendly, but someone like Murali Kartik or even the wrist spinner in Amit Mishra, might have proved to be a different proposition.

Kartik was indisposed and Mishra lost out to a third seamer in the lanky Siddharth Trivedi, who it must be said, given the opportunity, was not found wanting. India `A' skipper Shiv Sundar Das, perforce, had to look upon the part-time practitioners in Sridharan Sriram, Rohan Gavaskar and Hemang Badani, all coming up with the commonplace left-arm variety, to wheel away a few overs. The men who led the fight back for the visitors were opening batsman, Prasanna Jayawardane and captain Naveed Nawaz. After his third-ball dismissal in the first innings, Jayawardane came into the big picture. He had to wait for a little over six hours before making a strong presence in the match. He did not fail his colleagues, taking four catches and effecting a stumping that brought an end to an entertaining 42 (6 x 4s) by Powar that saw India `A' take a sizeable lead. Following his fine work behind the stumps, he opened the innings and played some handsome shots to make a half-century with nine fours.

Nawaz had to quickly fall back on his leading spinner Rangana Herath after the second new ball claimed in the second ball of the morning was put away confidently by Powar. The left-armer doubled his tally to six wickets, a performance that would have straightaway impressed the Sri Lankan selector here to keep an eye on a few select players.

Left-hander Nawaz, who took a century off the Under-19 team at Rajkot is easily the best among the Sri Lankan lot. Coming at the fall of the Jehan Mubarak who stretched his poor run to his third innings on the tour, Nawaz demonstrated maturity in tackling the seamers who were bowling with their tails up. He and Jayawardane took their side past the 125 mark and thereafter in the company of Thilana Kandamby, he guided his team to within striking distance of 200 runs. Nawaz has batted for nearly fours hours and should be looking forward to baulk the home team when play resumes on Wednesday.

The scores:

Sri Lanka `A' — 1st innings: 244

India `A' — 1st innings: S.S. Das c Jayawardane b Lakshitha 40, G. Gambhir c Jayawardane b Wijesiriwardane 27, M. Kaif c Lanka de Silva b Herath 53, H. Badani c Kandamby b Herath 50, S. Sriram c Jayawardane b Herath 7, R. Gavaskar c Lakshitha b Pollonowita 60, A. Ratra c Jayawardane b Lakshitha 26, R. Powar St. Jayawardane b Herath 42, A. Bhandari b Herath 7, S. Trivedi not out 9, M. Patel b Herath 8, Extras (b-l, lb-5, nb-33, w-1) 40, Total (in 101. 4 overs) 369.

Fall of wickets: 1-66, 2-96, 3-175, 4-189, 5-232, 6-287, 7-318, 8-340, 9-353.

Sri Lanka `A' bowling: Malinga 22-2-83-0, Lakshitha 17-1-85-2, Wijesiriwardane 17-2-60-1, Herath 25.4-3-89-6, Pollonowita 16-0-37-1, Mumbarak 4-1-9-0.

Sri Lanka `A' — 2nd innings: P. Jayawardane b Powar 76, I. Daniels c Ratra b Patel 16, J. Mubarak lbw b Trivedi 2, N. Nawaz batting 72, Lanka de Silva lbw b Trivedi 3, T. Kandamby batting 16, Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-4) 11, Total (for four wkts. in 72 overs) 196.

Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-49, 3-143, 4-154.

India `A' bowling: Bhandari 15-3-39-0, Trivedi 13-3-41-2, Patel 11-1-34-1, Powar 20-6-32-1, Sriram 9-1-28-0, Gavaskar 2-0-6-0, Badani 2-0-9-0.

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