When the third and final Test against Sri Lanka begins in Pallekele on Saturday, team India will have in front of them a rare opportunity to clean-sweep a Test series while on tour.
India have played like the top-ranked team in the world; they defeated the hosts by a mammoth margin of 304 runs in the series opener, and improved upon it by winning the second Test by an innings and 53 runs.
India have seldom been in a position to clean-sweep an overseas Test series. Over the course of their Test history – dating back to 1932, the Indian team has only swept an overseas series (comprising 2 or more Test matches) on three occasions.
Therefore, it will be a very memorable result if Virat Kohli and co. go on to win the final Test and clinch the series 3-0.
On evidence of what one has seen in the two Test matches so far, India have been far superior – in all the three departments too.
Five of the seven centuries scored in the series so far have come from the blades of the Indian batsmen.
And while the Indian team has dismissed Sri Lanka twice in both the Tests, the home team has managed to pick up only 22 Indian wickets in the two matches.
Challenges & Changes to Playing XI
Come Saturday, the Indian team will be faced with a couple of challenges upfront. First up, they will have to acclimatise to playing at a new venue. They have never played a Test match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Secondly, they will have to make up for the absence of their highest wicket-taker in the series; Ravindra Jadeja has been handed a suspension for alleged mischief on the field, which took his aggregate of demerit points to six, which automatically translated to a suspension.
It is likely that India will include Kuldeep Yadav in the XI to fill the void created by the suspension handed to Jadeja.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be forced to make at least two changes to the side that lost the previous Test. They have struggled to pick up wickets, and now their bowling attack has been further weakened with Rangana Herath being advised rest to allow him to recover from a stiff back.
And Nuwan Pradeep – the only Sri Lankan bowler to collect five wickets in an innings in this series – being ruled out of action for at least a fortnight because of a hamstring injury he picked up in the previous match.
The pressing need for Sri Lanka is to find bowlers who can take 20 wickets, and to address that they may look at including Lakshan Sandakan, who will be a surprise element where the Indian batsmen are concerned.
If India include Kuldeep – as is largely expected, and if the hosts play Sandakan, it will be a rare occurrence of opposing sides fielding chinaman bowlers in a Test match.
Chinaman bowlers are a rare breed by themselves, and to see two of them in action in the same Test match will be something to look forward to.
Recognition For the Silent-Performer Saha
While the success of the Indian bowlers is often celebrated, and Ashwin and Jadeja have often featured prominently in headlines, one individual who has contributed to their success and is an integral member of the team – Wriddhiman Saha – doesn’t often get the recognition he deserves.
Yes, Saha is in the team as a specialist wicket-keeper and the job he does is what is expected of him. However, he is outstanding at what he does, and just like we applaud good batting and skillful bowling, it is about time we took note of how brilliant Saha has been with the gloves.
At the conclusion of the second Test match, the 32-year old from Bengal came in for lavish praise from his captain Virat Kohli, who said:
He’s the best keeper in this format right now, I’d say. Four byes on that sort of pitch speaks volumes of the kind of ability he has. You saw his keeping today, how agile he is. He can create chances at any stage. He’s very safe behind the stumps and he’s been outstanding.Wriddhiman Saha
Numbers might not do justice in illustrating how good Saha has been behind the stumps. But here’s an attempt. In the two Test matches in Sri Lanka – played on difficult surfaces and in demanding climatic conditions, Saha has kept wickets to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who are among the top two bowlers in the world.
In 216.5 overs behind the stumps – while keeping to the spin duo – Saha has conceded only 4 byes! Not to forget the 5 dismissals he has been part of – which include difficult catches, which were made look easy, or his part in playing assists to run outs.
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