India in Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli and his team show they can bounce back from heartbreak

Whatever else this India team may lack, it can no longer be said that they lack grit. The house of horrors that was the final morning in Galle could have lingered in the minds of players, like an annoying song that you can’t get out of your head. But Virat Kohli and his men produced a complete team effort to win the second Test by 278 runs and banish the ghosts of Galle in comprehensive fashion. “At the end of the [first Test], I was heartbroken," Ashwin said after the victory. “What we did really well was sit in the dressing room and talk about how each of us felt because we were all feeling bad. To get it out of the system, with only three days in between the matches, was a good thing.” [caption id=“attachment_2405330” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  With the bowlers responding to his moves, Virat Kohli lead India to a big victory in Sangakkara’s farewell match.[/caption] This series is now locked at 1-1 and with Kumar Sangakkara not playing the third Test, India have to be favourites to win their first series in Sri Lanka since 1993. It would be a rather large feather in Kohli’s cap if he can pull it off. The most pleasing aspect of this Test is that contributions came from practically every single player on the field. There were runs for six of the top seven batsmen: Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Wridhhiman Saha. Rahul and Rahane impressed the most, providing vital runs and stability at moments when the game could have turned. In each case, they were accompanied by solid supporting acts in Kohli and Vijay. Lower down the order, Saha provided the bulwark against a quick finish to India’s first innings, and again he too found support from Amit Mishra. Every time Sri Lanka cut and thrust, India were there to parry and counter. And not only were there wickets for everyone one of the bowlers too, they all contributed at vital moments – Stuart Binny even got his first Test wicket - and bowled with the kind of discipline and intent that they have all too often lacked. The pitch at the P Sara Oval wasn’t the turner the teams found at Galle. It offered hope to the bowlers but also gave confidence to the batsmen that it would not misbehave. In other words, it was the kind of pitch that required those old fashioned virtues of line and length. And this is where India’s bowlers excelled. Umesh Yadav was hostile and threatening and his dismissal of Angelo Mathews with the first ball off the fifth morning was a microcosm of India’s proficiency. Bowlers often begin spells with a loosener, allowing the batsman to settle down first. But Yadav’s first ball was on a good length in the channel just outside off. Mathews was drawn into the shot and Rahul, the stand-in keeper took an excellent diving catch behind the stumps. “That sets the tone for whole team,” Kohli said. “Sets the momentum. Rahul helped us lift ourselves. That was a perfect start.” Mathews had denied India on the third morning on the way to making a hundred and loomed as their biggest obstacle to victory. The rest of the bowlers then swarmed around the Sri Lanka batting like piranhas smelling blood. “It was all about people coming and bowling attacking lines because we didn’t want the match to go on for too long,” Kohli said. Amit Mishra bowled Dinesh Chandimal round his legs; Ashwin outfoxed Lahiru Thirimanne and Ishant Sharma had Jehan Mubarak sniffing outside off. On commentary, Sanjay Manjrekar had pointed out Virat Kohli was standing closer at second slip and so he was able to sneak his fingers under the ball. Everything was coming off for India. Ashwin, along with the resurrected Mishra, then took over and ran through the Sri Lankan lower order. There is no question he is now India’s No. 1 bowler and has developed the ability to run through sides even on surfaces that aren’t tilted disproportionately in his favour. With 17 wickets in the first two matches, he has also broken the record for most wickets by an India bowlers in a series in Sri Lanka. Mishra has also grown, taking seven wickets in the Test, the same as Ashwin, and perhaps that is because he has a captain who believes in leg-spin and likes to use his spinners as an attacking option. This is why Kohli deserves plenty of plaudits for the way he led this team, especially on day three, when Mathews and Thirimanne were blocking everything India threw at them. He kept the pressure on, rotated his bowlers smartly and eventually won the battle of attrition. It would not have come easy to Kohli, who isn’t known for his patience, but he was prepared to bide his time and not sacrifice control for the mirage of activity. There are still questions for this India team to answer. The batting line-up isn’t set, they lack a world-class all-rounder and the bowling can be wayward. But in terms of temperament and desire, they have shown you can’t count them out.