Malinga's inability to pick wickets on the final day paved the way for an Indian win

Malinga's below-par performance on final day hurt Lanka's chances

Malinga's inability to pick wickets on the final day paved the way for an Indian win

Colombo: Sri Lanka are going to find it hard without the wizardry of Muttiah Muralitharan. And no obvious replacement, as well as being suckered into using Ajantha Mendis, are part of the reasons Sri Lanka lost a Test match for the first time at P Sara Oval since 1994.

While India were good value for their five-wicket victory, there was a feeling that Sri Lanka lacked the ammunition and the intensity on Saturday needed to pull off 2-0 series success in this third Test of the series.

There were also some strange tactical decisions early on captain Kumar Sangakkara. He didn't seem to read the game too well at times. His use of Suraj Randiv at times didn't help their cause, almost turning the off-spinner into a medium-pacer.

On Saturday, the Lanka fielders dropped Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Rainau00a0 and with no Muraliu00a0 in the team, there were no fieldsmen crowding the batsmen on a pitch where the little magician has had impressive success.
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That is why their ranking will slip further down the ladder and they will have to rely on beating teams like Bangladesh and West Indies to keep sight of the No 1 ranking.u00a0u00a0u00a0

In 1994, Sri Lanka lost by the hefty margin of 01 runs at P Sara Oval. Since then, they have made it a venue where they have had a run of unbelievable success until now. They did escape with a one wicket win over South Africa in 2006 when a dropped catch cost the visitors.

Why Sri Lanka lost

>> Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis were not incisive enough.

>>u00a0Kumar Sangakkara was not at his tactical best.

>>u00a0In the absence of Muttiah Muralitharan, Lanka could not build up enough pressure.

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