India Level The Series At Galle

Indians have done it again when their backs were completely against the wall. What a way to comeback after suffering the third biggest loss? No one expected India to win the game. But then, the Indians have proved their mettle once again. Anil Kumble said he was not surprised by this victory as he had full faith in his team and knew what every member was capable of in their dressing room.

First, it was Sehwag in the first innings with that magnificient 201*. It was his 11 century on a trot which has been converted into a 150+ score. What a feat? It was a terrific display of his mental strength to comeback in such a way after the first test loss. He single handedly took India to a position of comfort. Then it was Harbhajan Singh who picked up six wickets to back Sehwag’s effort. Sehwag and Gambhir again propelled India to a good start and as usual, the Indians fumbled out of nowhere. The worst part is that they looked pretty comfortable against the spinners.

Then Ishanth Sharma and Zaheer Khan bowled beautifully. Both looked good for more wickets. Ishanth Sharma in particular was at his devastating best. It reminded me of his duel with Ricky Ponting at Perth ( Listen To What Sanjay Manjrekar Had To Say About Ishanth Sharma ). He was consistently around the 135-140 kmph mark. His spell was inspirational. By the time the spinners came, the damage was already done. Credit should go to the 19 year old lad for his efforts. Then Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble completed the other formalities and we won by 170 runs.

There were few more areas where we could improve and if we can get that right it would be a another cracker of a contest in a weeks time. Mahela Jayawardene was so very impressed with Ishanth Sharma that he has already hinted at a pace bowler in his line-up. The highlight of this match was how the openers nullified Ajantha Mendis and Muralidaran. It was a treat to watch them dominate the Sri Lankan spinners. If they can repeat the show, we can probably bag this series.