SCORECARD: II Test, India vs Srilanka, Galle, 2008
India has come back into this series with a good win against Lankans in the second Test match at Galle. Now the series tied 1-1 with one Test match remaining.
Blazing Sehwag
I would rate his double ton in the first innings as his best ever ahead of his two triples. After Sunil Gavaskar he has become second Indian batsmen to carry his bat through. He followed it up with a fine half-century in the second innings. He has demonstrated that best way to bat against spinners like Murali and Mendis is to stay positive.
Gambhir played beautifully in both the innings. I hope he will covert his good starts into big hundreds like his Delhi team-mate. The most delighting thing I have noticed about him is the way he shielded struggling Rahul from Mendis by taking majority of strike against him. This is known as playing for team-mates; team spirit. Normally this quality is associated with Rahul himself. I have seen Rahul shielding struggling batsmen form the bowlers in the past, now it is the turn of this great batsman to receive the favor.
Sachin and Rahul came good in the second innings and scored some vital runs for the team. I hope his second innings stint would propel Rahul to play some match winning knocks before he retires.
Indian Bowling
Ajay Jadeja said on NDTV before the start of this Test match that if it is a low or modest scoring match then India would have the edge. His comments reflect that India do well in conditions which aids bowlers to get wickets and it is quite true. Harbhajan bowled well in both the innings of this match. I hope he is consistent atleast from now on. Indian pacers especially Ishant Sharma came good in the second innings. Their performances will reduce the burden of Kumble and Harbhajan.
We have seen India bouncing back immediately form defeats in the recent past. They have done that here also. But they have failed to sustain that upsurge. Next Test match will be a crucial test for India in that regard. Moreover no senior players, except for Sachin and Kumble, have tasted series win in Srilanka. It should motivate them to do well.
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