India may have finished Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at 300/5, but former India cricketers Ajay Jadeja and Sanjay Manjrekar believe head coach Gautam Gambhir will not be entirely pleased with the way his batters went about their business in Colombo on Sunday, August 23.
India elected to bat first and were once again rescued by Devdutt Padikkal, who continued his sensational run in the series. The left-hander showed tremendous patience to bring up another century, but there was little support from the other batters, who repeatedly got themselves in before throwing their wickets away.
That, according to Jadeja, would be a concern for Gambhir.
IND vs SL, 2nd Test Day 1: HIGHLIGHTS
Speaking on the broadcast at the end of the day’s play, the former India batter said the standards set by the team meant that merely reaching 300 was not enough.
“I think India would probably not be happy about this. Gambhir will be Gambhir and that is because of the standards that they have set for themselves. Every batsman who came in, got a start, but only Padikkal was able to raise his bat (after hitting hundred). Sri Lanka probably walked off happier after that,” Jadeja said.
The final over of the day summed up some of India’s frustrations.
Sri Lanka got the crucial wicket of Ravindra Jadeja just before stumps, with Asitha Fernando producing a sharp delivery from around the wicket that came into the left-hander. Jadeja initially looked to leave the ball, only to realise too late that it was coming back towards his stumps.
By then, there was little he could do as the ball crashed into the stumps.
MANJREKAR WANTS 500 RUNS FROM INDIA
Manjrekar was even more demanding when assessing India’s position at the end of Day 1.
With India choosing to bat first and having considerable batting depth, he felt the visitors should be looking at a total of around 500. Anything significantly below that, he suggested, would mean India had failed to make full use of the conditions.
“When you looked at the pitch and the batting depth that India had, I felt that India should probably reach somewhere around 500. Anything under that you would think that India did not make use of the conditions here. Jaiswal got out on 45, Gill got a start, if these guys get going, then you start looking at massive scores. I think that India will be slightly disappointed,” Manjrekar said.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal was another talking point from the day. The opener was dismissed for 40 by Asitha Fernando in the 17th over and was involved in a heated exchange with the Sri Lankan fast bowler immediately after his dismissal.
Jaiswal lost his cool and head-butted Fernando before being pulled away by Sri Lankan players.
While India did manage to reach 300, the feeling could have been very different had Padikkal received more support. The left-hander remained unbeaten on his century as wickets fell at the other end.
At stumps, India were 300/5 with Dhruv Jurel and Saransh Jain at the crease. Rishabh Pant is still to come, although his availability for the second innings remains a point of interest after he was forced to retire out earlier in the day.
Pant was hit on the leg by a Lahiru Kumara bouncer after facing just 15 balls and subsequently received treatment in the dugout. The Indian team management later confirmed that he was fit to bat.
With Pant still to come and the tail to follow, India will hope to turn a promising position into the kind of first-innings total that Jadeja and Manjrekar believe they should have been targeting from the outset.
– Ends
