India – Sri Lanka Cricket Series
On the eve of departure of Indian team to Sri Lanka, Virender Sehwag aptly summed up the importance of the tour. He had commented that we have an unfinished business to complete in Sri Lanka. Indeed, the Indian cricket team has not been able to stamp its authority in Sri Lanka, as the victory of a test series still eludes them. In every tournament there is one or the other player who emerges as nemesis for the Indian team.
In July 2008 tour it was the emergence of phenomenon called Ajanta Mendis and the Indian cricket team did not know what had hit them. This time around, it might be Muttiah Muralitharan, as he would be playing in his last test match before hanging his boots and one never knows what bunny he can pull out of his hat to bamboozle the Indians and stamp his authority as one of the finest spin players cricket has ever seen.
The record of Indian team speaks for itself. India could draw a test series in 1993 under the captainship of Azharuddin. That was the only saving grace for the Indian cricket team, otherwise the pot is entirely empty.
For Mahender Singh Dhoni it would be his first test series after his marriage and he would be hoping that his wife could bring about her luck for better fortunes of his team. For Harbhajan Singh it could be his moment of arrival, it being guided by the comment that Muralitharan made about him.
Muralitharan has commented that only Bhajji has the potential to overtake him, and there could not be a better platform than Sri Lanka for Bhajji to tell the world that indeed the confidence that Muralitharan has reposed in him is not an empty talk but there is a definite substance in it.
Indian team has also to prove to the world that they are also one of the best test playing nations in the world and there could not be a better place to tell the world than in the current Sri Lankan tour. Sachin Tendulkar might be playing his last series in Sri Lanka. For him, Sri Lanka has not been a happy ground so far. He being one of the most focused players in the game of cricket could use this tour to tell the world that he indeed is one of the greatest players cricket has ever seen. And if Sachin goes going, then the records are going to fall like nine-pins. Let’s hope it does.
By: Suman Rai
Tags: Cricket, India, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sports, Sri Lanka, Test Series
