CHENNAI :It was Christmas eve, and what better way than celebrating it by lending gifts, even if it is at your own expense.Of course it is hard to find motivation when everything that could have been won is already lost. There will also be phases where even “playing for pride” accounts for little, when you’re already thinking about spending time with your family back home. But the end result was another comprehensive victory for India as they ended the year on a resounding note. As the dust settles, this series once again reminded why there is a bigger need for meaningful contests. The two sides have featured in six Tests in as many months. To go with eight ODIs and four T20s, it would have bored even boredom itself.
Even when England and Australia played back-to-back Ashes in 2013, it did leave a few gasping for a break. And if you think this is it, wait. After touring South Africa, India will AGAIN head to Sri Lanka for a T20 tri-series involving Bangladesh, as part of the Emerald Island’s 70th Independence Day celebrations.
But that is likely to be the last of these two sides meeting for a while as the Future Tours Programme that comes to life in 2019 and goes on till 2023 has only one Test series featuring two ties.
From the time Sri Lanka landed, Indians looked at their days ahead as a preparation for their tour of South Africa.
They wanted green tracks. They played on two of them and struggled in both, as Sri Lanka’s attack found some help. But apart from those two clashes, on surfaces where there was nothing for bowlers, the visitors’ attack lacked skill and often looked so pedestrian that India — a side obsessed with winning matches all the time — didn’t shy away from giving youngsters a chance. Sunday was no different as stand-in captain Rohit Sharma brought in Washington Sundar — a debut cap for him — and Mohammad Siraj.
After Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga were back in the hut inside four overs, there was only one way the game was heading. If India’s purpose was about giving the rookies a chance, it served them well. Washington, opening the bowling, returned with economical figures. Jaydev Unadkat showed that he is a more matured bowler, and underscored India’s pace bench strength.
Siraj ended up being the most expensive, going for 45 in his four, but it will be too soon to write off a bowler who seems to have potential as a good limited-over option. A total of 136 was not enough of a challenge for India. Though both inform openers — KL Rahul and Rohit — didn’t grab the headlines once again, the middle-order finally swallowed the game and the series 3-0.
Brief scores: SL 135/7 in 20 ovs (A Gunaratne 36, J Unadkat 2/15) lost to India 139/5 in 19.2 ovs (M Pandey 32, D Chameera 2/22).