Follow UsIndia could get even tougher to beat at home
With a ridiculous win-loss ratio of 17.00 since the start of 2013, team India are already by far the toughest side to beat at home.
What’s utterly scary is that it looks like this already-invincible unit could very well get even tougher to beat at home, provided the management decides to field a full-strength XI.
In Bangalore, team India, for the first time, fielded Bumrah, Shami, Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar together, arguably the strongest attack in the country’s history (pertinent to conditions). Throw in Mohammed Siraj too (who could always come into the side in place of Axar when the conditions are seam-friendly), it is impossible to see any batting unit surviving this devastating bowling unit in sub-continent conditions, unless three or more bowlers collectively decide to have an off-game.
If it spins, you’re in deep trouble. If it seams, you’re in deep trouble. If it is flat, you’re in deep trouble. If there is pace, you’re in deep trouble. If there is no pace, you’re in deep trouble. There is simply no respite.
The star-power in the bowling line-up makes it look terrifying, but the batting is no less effective. It speaks volumes of India’s astounding depth in the batting department that they managed to register two crushing wins despite three of their top four batters failing to score 100 runs in the series.
The emergence of Rishabh Pant has really been a total game-changer. He now averages 63.90 at home whilst striking at 92, having managed seven fifty-plus scores in 11 innings. He looks an unstoppable force, and his emergence coupled with Jadeja’s transformation is making the batting look impenetrable.
Both Vihari and Iyer will only get better from here, so at home at least, there is literally not a single chink in the batting.
Whisper quietly, but there is nothing to suggest that this Indian unit cannot go on to become an even bigger force of nature at home than it already is.
Sri Lanka have a long, long way to go
First things first, it has to be acknowledged that this Sri Lankan Test unit continues to be plagued incessantly by bad luck. Ahead of the series, they lost Ramesh Mendis, someone who was a key part of their success last year, and on the very first day of the series they lost Lahiru Kumara. To make matters worse, Dushmantha Chameera was able to take no part in the series, while Pathum Nissanka also missed one of the two Tests with a back injury.
All said and done, however, this series has dished out a harsh reminder as to where exactly Sri Lanka stand. Ahead of the series, everyone knew that this Lankan unit was levels below India, but no one quite expected the gulf to be this big, particularly after their showings against West Indies, Bangladesh and England last year.
The bigger of the two disappointments turned out to be the batting.
All of Karunaratne, Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva walked into the series high on form and hype but neither of the three batters lived up to their expectations. Skipper Karunaratne salvaged things slightly with a fine fourth-innings ton in the second Test, but, to the visitors’ dismay, it was too little too late.
The biggest disappointment of all was de Silva, who walked into the series with the reputation of being one of the best players of spin; prior to the series, he averaged 48.67 in Asia.
Come the occasion, however, de Silva fluttered big time, averaging 11.25 with the bat. Three of his four dismissals in the series came against the slower bowlers.
De Silva, at least, is here to stay, but Sri Lanka will certainly have to evaluate the merit of having Charith Asalanka in the side as a specialist No.6. In six innings in his Test career, the southpaw has failed to cross 30 even once and has never looked comfortable in the middle. His is a curious selection, for 28.15 is all he averages with the bat at the first-class level having played more than 40 games. For the time being at least, it looks like Asalanka is not adding too much value to the side.
The bowlers comparatively fared better, but they were far from faultless. In the second Test in Bengaluru, for instance, on a wicket that turned square from the first session, their spinners - Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama - were erratic, erring on line and length far too often.
Throughout the series, Embuldeniya had his moments, but ultimately he let the team down with his consistency, failing to provide control. An economy of 4.06 across 90.5 overs is not something to be proud of.
But amidst all this, the silver lining for Sri Lanka is that they still are a relatively young unit with plenty of promise. The key for them will be for the players to learn from the drubbing and strive for improvement.
Test door looks temporarily closed for Shubman Gill, but Mayank might have done him a favor
Spare a thought for Shubman Gill, who within the span of nine months has gone from being the first-choice opener for the side in the World Test Championship Final to a complete non-starter, for no fault of his. The happenings in the recently-concluded India-Sri Lanka series suggest that Gill could very well be warming the bench for the foreseeable future.
With Vihari being ahead in the pecking order due to his relative seniority, the final spot in the starting XI came down between Gill and Shreyas Iyer. It was Iyer who was given the nod by the management, and the Mumbaikar vindicated the decision, that too in some style, in the second Test in Bangalore.
Iyer not only set-up victory for the side through a sublime knock on the very first day, but oozed self-belief and played with the confidence of an incumbent. The right-hander’s average after four Tests - two of which came on bowler-friendly tracks - now reads 55.42 and he looks set to have sealed the No.5/No.6 spot for good.
With Vihari also set to get an extended run at No.3 - a position where he’s excelled in at the domestic level - the path for an immediate return into the Test side looks shut for Gill, who has also been leapfrogged by KL Rahul in the pecking order on the opening front.
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That being said, Mayank Agarwal might have done Gill a favor by registering ordinary returns. For someone like Mayank, whose performances outside home of late have been unremarkable, it is imperative to keep putting up strong numbers in India to maintain a case to be the first-choice back-up. His average of 19.66 in the series is bound to weaken his claim to be ahead of Gill in the pecking order.