India-Sri Lanka Test series: Beyond the result

For one tiny second, let us pretend the World Test Championship does not exist. Or, if that’s not possible, that we inhabit a world in which it is not the be-all and end-all of the cricketing universe. To that end, the India-Sri Lanka series, which ended 1-0 in the visiting team’s favour, but left the home team feeling right on top after they battled to a stunning draw at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. There were lessons aplenty, for both sides.

TWO IS TOO FEW

Gautam Gambhir, almost unprompted, said that two Tests were not ideal for a series. His reasoning, even with India leading, was that a team should always have option of winning a series even after losing the first Test.

Even setting his logic aside, Gambhir was absolutely right. Consider this series. India had seen enough of Kuldeep Yadav after one Test, in which he did not have the captain’s confidence.


In the second, India brought in Saransh Jain, who made his debut at 33. Gill backed Saransh, giving him long spells in both innings and even handing him the new ball. By the end of it, though, it was clear that Saransh was not the answer to India’s off-spin problems. Had there been a third Test, what might India have done? There are no other spinners on the radar and India would have been forced to play a combination that was not their first choice.

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Similarly, what would Sri Lanka have done, having bowled Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara into the ground? It’s not as though they have many fast bowling options.

We won’t know the answer to these questions, because two-Test series are just not good enough.

WILL CAPTAIN GILL STAND UP?

The question before this series began, with Shubman Gill approaching a year at the helm of the Test and ODI teams, was when he would make this team his own. For a while now, the whisper has been that this was Gambhir’s team, with the head coach calling all the shots.

But it’s clear now that Gill has a mind of his own and has no difficulty in standing by his decisions. More than once during the series, when things were meandering on the field, a message would come out from the dressing room, usually delivered by Sarfaraz Khan. Gill listened to the input but did his own thing. Occasionally, he waved Sarfaraz away even before he could fully convey what he had been sent out to say.

When it came to the declaration, Gill had several choices before him. He chose to balance runs and time as he thought fit, and that included Dhruv Jurel getting to his Test hundred. In hindsight, there may be some nitpicking on this count, but at least it was a call the captain made and could own.

WHY POTENTIAL IS NOT ENOUGH

India arrived in Sri Lanka vulnerable. They may not admit it but there was a real chance that they could have been in trouble. India’s recent record against spin has been dodgy on tough pitches at home. Sri Lanka are masters at playing on turners in their backyard, especially in Galle where Prabhat Jayasuriya is king.

For whatever reason, Sri Lanka chose not to go full-on when it comes to turning tracks. And this allowed India’s batsmen, especially those who enjoy bounce, such as Devdutt Padikkal, to back themselves and come good.

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India should take note that their best chance, even at home, is to play on pitches that allow their batsmen to express themselves fully.

Sri Lanka, on a similar note, are owning their identity as a developing team. Not one in transition, like India, but one that is growing into being the best version of itself. And Sonal Dinusha, making the most of every chance, with the lower order, showed that runs on the board and performance under pressure is the real pathway to growth.

Sri Lanka, under the astute eye of Gary Kirsten, will know that they now need to back players who lift their game at the highest level and are hungry to change the team’s performances, not just players who make pretty little scores and hope for the best.

While both Tests in this series went the distance — itself a rarity in modern cricket anywhere in the world — the only reason it shone light so clearly on the way forward was the balance between bat and ball. Had it not been for rain in Colombo, this would have been sharpened, and then there would have been nowhere to hide.