India struggle despite Sachin, Karthik's fine knocks

Colombo: In terms of the bigger picture of this tour it is all about India success, not Sachin Tendulkar.

Yet Day two of the tour's pre-Test practice match was largely about the Little Master and not without reason, as with Dinesh Karthik he rescued the side from a fumbling start to the tour.

A couple of freak mishap dismissals involving Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had resulted in an discomforting top-and middle-order flop as unpalatable as stale roti.

From an overnight 4-1 against the Sri Lanka Board XI to be listing at 80-5 five balls into the 19th over of the innings after a delayed start of five hours, didn't so much trigger alarm as call for quality batting and a commonsense approach along with a lot of hard work against some eager bowling.

When you run your eye down the names on the scorecard, they are the sort to make any bowler tremble and wonder if he is going to create a situation where the fieldsmen will be leather hunting big-time.

While Rahul Dravid's freak run out was an exception through the lanky fast bowler Dilhara Fernando's thinking, the remainder of the Indians gave the impression as if they were battling with pitch conditions.

It led to the double strike by 25-year-old Dammika Prasad whose three ODI wickets are at an expensive 38.66. His three ODIs were against Pakistan two years ago, after which has he has been discarded. And now he acts as a newball prop for his Ragama attack, along with the occasional game for Sri Lanka A.

He had Sourav Ganguly paying the penalty for pulling too soon on a slow pitch as the ball barely rose. It was a misjudgement more than anything, but one that will have him thinking. Two balls later the next delivery scuttled through like a crab and VVS Laxman gloved it into his stumps.

Earlier Test left-arm spinner Rangana Herath had Virender Sehwag lbw with one that also kept low as the batsman thrust a leg out at the ball that fund him in front for 27.

As for Tendulkar, who was back after a seven week-break with a visit to England, he put together a masterful innings of 69 even as his teammates struggled to cope with conditions at the Nondescript Cricket club venue.

He entertained a small but appreciative Saturday afternoon crowd and put on notice Brian Lara that his world record Test record, of which Tendulkar needs 172 to surpass is definitely under threat during this looming Test series.

When Karthik joined Tendulkar it was a matter of settling in as quickly as possible to counter the bowling on a pitch that was largely up and down. Finding the batting rhythm was equally important and he set about rebuilding the innings.

As Karthik explained it, Tendulkar's presence at the crease is always valuable as his experience and guidance on how to plan the counter attack adds confidence.

"Just batting with the best batsman in the world adds to your confidence as it helps make you think. His advice gives you the assurance you need," Karthik said.

"My own role was that I wanted to prove myself on this tour and get runs as it is important for me to do well,' Karthik said. "There is always the pressure to do well, but I feel confident in such a situation as this. When I went in I took my time to play my shots and get used to the pace and bounce of the pitch.

"It's great for me to establish myself in the Test side and if I can get some runs," he added. "But I also know that it is one of three opportunities that I'll to get to establish myself and I was really surprised when I was selected. When you play for India there is a sense of pressure always, mostly for the wicketkeeper as (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni always sets such a high standard.

"I can tell you that I was really surprised to be selected for this tour. But if I can get some runs, I know that I can get into the team as a batsman," he added.

There were also praises on the way Gary Kirsten handled his role as coach and the one-on-ones that he held with the players, besides explaining their roles in the side, added to their confidence.

Yet it was Tendulkar's innings which enthralled as well as entertained. He made batting look so easy and the way he reeled off two consecutive Prasad's bowling, he successfully send warning signals to Sri Lanka bowlers who realise that they are in for a genuine fight.

There were also straight drives, lofted off-drives and he was playing knowing the pitch that it was valuable to play forward to kill the spin or narrow the angle of the seam or swing. And all that displayed his greatness.

His 69 off only 76 balls with the sort of display you expect from a man of class and talent. He gave the impression of being unconcerned as wickets fell at the other end, yet his early approach was one of care and attention and his touch game, where he pushed and dabbed the ball past fieldsmen to take singles, was something to always remember.

Teams:

Indians: Anil Kumble (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Dinesh Karthik, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh.

SL Board XI: WU Tharanga, ML Udawatte, J Mubarak, CK Kapugedera, SHT Kandamby, LPC Silva, JK Silva, KTGD Prasad, HMRKB Herath, CRD Fernando, WRS de Silva, S Prasanna.

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