Sri Lanka in these months can get extremely muggy, but that’s not the only reason why the Indian team will be feeling discomfited when it takes the field in the second Test beginning today। Badly beaten in the first, the players will be under acute pressure. A defeat here means the series is lost too, and with that will sink much of the goodwill and ranking that was earned in the past year.
It is not possible for any team to win every time; in any case, the Indian team cannot boast to be the best in the business। But so abject was the performance in the first Test that it has riled the sensibilities of cricket lovers and aficionados.
Such a rout suggests that the problem could be something more serious than just a one-off setback। As against Australia, the Indian team could come back strongly, but it will not be easy in these conditions.
The wickets Down Under earlier this year were batsmen friendly, and the players themselves appeared fit and enthusiastic for battle। From what has been in evidence in Sri Lanka yet, the pitches are not poor, but need getting used to. This requires some time, which the itinerary did not permit what with only one three day game before the first Test.
More damagingly, India’s players have not shown the same levels of physical fitness and mental alertness that was witnessed during the Australian tour. There is a jadedness about the side, perhaps because of the excessive cricket played over the past six months. How to beat this will be the big test for Kumble and his men even before they take the field today.
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