From Sri Lanka with Love
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By Rahul Patil
You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep – Navajo Proverb
The problem with stubborn people is they don’t think they have a problem. Hence every suggested solution is considered an insult. After losing the first test by 63 runs, changes in the playing XI seemed imminent. But disregarding all the “outside noise” the Blackcaps team management decided to go into the second test with an unchanged team.
Interestingly, the team who won the previous test and were 1-0 up in a two-match series made two changes. The team, that had to win this test to square the series made none. Sri Lanka dropped off spinner Ramesh Mendis who had picked up six wickets in the last test because they were not happy with his economy rate. The team management felt that his lack of control could prove costly and hence they picked a debutant off spinner instead who picked up nine in the match.
Sometimes, teams get into a siege mentality. They feel everyone on the outside (the media, the fans, the pundits, the experts and the commentators) are out to get them. It’s us versus them. We saw this phenomenon often when Virat Kohli was the captain of India. But Virat also loves to prove a point. That siege mentality helped him get the best out of himself and his team. As far as the blackcaps are concerned it’s never us versus them. We genuinely want to see them do well and win consistently.
The joy of Tim Southee picking up a wicket in the first over of the test was short lived. No bowler apart from Glen Phillips picked up a wicket after that in the 162.4 overs that followed. Maybe I need to be a bit more sympathetic towards the bowlers. They did create chances but were let down by their fielders who dropped catches and missed stumpings. Whichever way you look, it wasn’t a 602/5 declared kind of wicket. The toothlessness of our attack had been horribly exposed.
It’s called test cricket for a reason. The ultimate test of your skill and toughness. After over five and a half sessions in the field in the heat and humidity of Galle, you still have to go out there and dig in with the bat. I was on a flight from Auckland to Wellington on Saturday evening. When I boarded, the blackcaps were 24/2. An hour later when I landed, they were 68/9. From there, 88 felt like an achievement. Sadly, the white towel had been thrown in without a fight.
There is no crash course for learning the art of playing quality spin bowling. The syllabus is just too vast. First and foremost, you must be able to read it from the bowler’s hand. Trying to read it off the pitch is already too late. Once you read it, you must be nimble and decisive with your feet. You get a fraction of a second to go forward or back. If you get stuck in the crease, then its already too late. If you go forward you must bend low and play with soft hands when defending. If you go back, make sure you are always ready for the one that keeps a tad bit low. In the pre-DRS era, smart batters would use their pads as a line of defense. You can’t do that anymore. You also cannot prepare for a test series in the sub-continent by having a few net sessions. You need to be ready to go through the grind of a full 3-year bachelor’s degree.
There was some redemption in the 2nd innings. But, by then the game had already gone. The result was a mere formality. Just a matter of when and not if. Yet another series loss in the subcontinent. Once again, we will hear the usual post series press conference in which the coach and captain talk about the learnings, the process, the positives and being better for the experience etc. But trust me, there is nothing positive that comes out of 2-0 test series loss. No learnings when you lose by an innings and 154 runs.
The first test against India starts on the 16th of October. After the drubbing in Sri Lanka, it would only be logical to get to India early and organize a couple of warm up games to give ourselves the best chance of success. Colombo to Bengaluru (venue for the 1st India test) is a 90-minute flight. Yet we have chosen to come back home and then go back to India. Should there be any team changes? Yes. Will there be any team changes? No. Remember the Navajo proverb, you can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.
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