As a last throw of the dice, after Sri Lanka had enforced the follow on, the Indian think-tank sent VVS Laxman to bat at No.3 in the second innings. He once did a miracle in a similar situation against Australia at Eden Gardens seven years ago, but at the SSC, long before the Test started, it was quite clear who the magicians were. Supple wrists lost out to nimble fingers as Sri Lanka recorded their biggest win at home. With Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis sharing 19 wickets between them, India lost the first Test by an innings and 239 runs.

Taking Laxman as a case study, one can explain the degree of difficulty the Indian batsmen had to face while dealing with the Murali-Mendis combine. Mendis’s precise movement and Murali’s prodigious break had the Indians in a labyrinth of several turns, and they were made to look like a scatterbrain trapped inside an intricate maze.

Foxed by Mendis

As Laxman, unbeaten overnight, walked out to bat on Saturday, he looked like the lone man among the visitors with a map in hand. He was gradually finding his feet, and when one got a glimpse of his graceful touch, a ray of light seemed at the end of the tunnel. Though saving the Test was a long shot, demystifying the two ‘Ms’ appeared to be on the cards. But that’s when Mendis ensured that the Indians would take the trip to Galle for the second Test with doubts still embedded in their minds.

... contd.