Disequilibrium! Certainly the word is not a part of the cricketing lexicon but it could be seen and felt at the Brabourne Stadium here on Friday. Virender Sehwag’s wicket transformed the third and final Test against Sri Lanka dramatically. The loss of equilibrium in the Indian innings after the opener’s anti-climactic dismissal in the morning was striking.
Sehwag’s exit did not exactly change India’s fortunes in the Test — the hosts may go on to wrap up the series on Saturday itself — but cricket in the middle was suddenly different. Occasionally mundane. Run-scoring was more like a bicycle ride in the hilly terrains of Tour de France than a drive in Ferrari on the neat thoroughfares of Monte Carlo.
Even when Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh were batting, the scoring rate had plummeted. Late in the day, MS Dhoni livened up the stadium with his six-hitting spree but Sehwag’s wicket was the turning point. Suddenly the pitch started showing its true colours; Muttiah Muralitharan started flashing his toothy smile and Kumar Sangakkara suddenly became a pro-active captain. As against 447 runs in 79 overs on Day II, India scored 283 in 83.4 overs on Day 3. The contrast in scoring was not only slow but also excruciating.
There was, however, little change in Sehwag himself after he played one back to a stunned Muralitharan who had suffered the most against the opener on Thursday. Sehwag showed momentary disappointment and during his long walk back, appeared lost in thoughts. That was only for a few seconds. He soon started acknowledging the standing ovation. He even managed a smile.
Just a moment back he was on the cusp of becoming the first batsman ever to score a third triple hundred. The lost opportunity failed to faze him. Back in the dressing room, he was his usual self — giving an impression that he had lost only a keychain — not the chance of a lifetime.
In the morning, his intent, if not the approach, was clear. Indian batsmen were at the crease much before the Lankan fielders came on to the park. Sehwag did not miss any opportunity to score. He added nine runs to his overnight score of 284 before Muralitharan deceived him with length.
Somewhere along the line, one felt as if the enormity of the occasion got to Sehwag — he looked a tad conscious of the milestone during the 15 balls he faced in the morning. Once he was gone, the batsmen were grafting rather than blasting runs. Dravid followed suit after scoring 72. Tendulkar and Laxman scored half centuries but both faltered to reach the three-figure mark. MS Dhoni went hammer and tongs. He smashed his third Test century with the help of six sixes and some assistance from Pragyan Ojha. The No.11 allowed his captain to complete the hundred. They put on 56 runs in about six overs for the 10th wicket.
Dhoni declared the innings at 726 for nine after India took a commanding 333-run lead.
The Lankan openers managed to survive three testing overs but the question is, can they survive for two more days on a crumbling pitch. One can never say, but it could be as ‘easy’ as bowling to Sehwag. Muralitharan should know it best.
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