30 August,2026 08:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Sunil Gavaskar
India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj (left) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja during the fifth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Thursday. Pic/PTI
The inability of India's bowlers to take the last four Sri Lankan wickets in the fifth and final day of the Colombo Test match has made India's task of qualifying for the final of the WTC that much harder. Of course, they can still do that by winning the remaining seven Test matches they play till the cycle finishes. But if they couldn't dismiss the lower order batting on a pitch where there was some turn, it does make Indian cricket fans a bit nervous.
There was a sameness to the bowling from what little that I saw. The left-handers were accurate and quick through the air and the debutant off-spinner looked an honest trier with little variety to trouble batters at this level. Sure, he could have been nervous considering that he was making his debut, yet there was no deception through the air and an over-reliance on the pitch for assistance. On a pitch that got slower as the match progressed, the fast bowlers struggled to get the ball up towards the batters' shoulders. Here perhaps the extra pace and height of Gurnoor Brar may well have come in handy. But of course, it's being wise after the event.
Kuldeep Yadav's absence also did not help as a good wrist spinner can get the lower-order batters out in a jiffy most of the time. A fast bowler with a good yorker is also terrific to have in the side when the opposition batters are looking good. So Bumrah was badly missed, especially when the batters thwarted India on the final day of the second Test.
That said, Sonal Dinusha looks a top prospect for the Lankans going forward. Yes, the second season when the bowlers will have had long, hard look at his batting videos and will know his strengths and weaknesses more will reveal how good he really is. We have seen with Kamindu Mendis and before that Mike Hussey how it is tough to maintain that prolific scoring once the world knows a bit more about your batting. Now it will be temperament and a bit of luck that will decide how far he goes.
The no-balls being bowled by the Indian bowlers came in for a fair bit of comment. This has to be looked at urgently because it can change the colour of the game. There are very few aspects of the game that are totally in the players control and a batter taking guard and a bowler not bowling a no-ball are two such aspects. Players, when they come for interviews, talk about doing things that are in their control. Today with tape measure available to mark the run-up there should be no excuses for overstepping the bowling crease.
The India team spinning coach jokingly said that giving a free hit after a no-ball might help in curbing the offense. Please, let's not make run-scoring easier in Test cricket for the batters with this penalty. As it is, with the restriction on bouncers to two in an over and the boundaries being brought in, run making has become a little simpler.
Instead, how about a fine which gets doubled for every further transgression plus half the amount of fine for the bowling coach too. The fines collected can be used for the final team dinner before the boys disperse. There could be other fines too, for example, not backing up for a throw or something else not done on the field, which the whole team can vote on whether to impose or not. This can be also a fun activity and bond the team even more.
More on such activities for an overseas tour in another column, but for the moment congratulations to the Indian team on winning the series and hats off to the Lankans for their resistance and saving a whitewash.
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