TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: Sonal Dinusha, dark clouds, rain and the close of play. There has been no deviation in the last three days, but Day 4 of the Test saw a finish earlier than what we saw in the previous two days. After a hard-fought day of Test cricket, both teams were off the field as relentless rain forced an early close. The equation: India need four wickets to close Sri Lanka’s innings and then chase it down to complete the clean sweep.The beauty of a day of Test cricket is its ability to dish out moments and periods that can swing the momentum either way, yet keep both parties interested. Day 4 followed that pattern and saw India toil hard, Sri Lanka put up a proper fight and then witnessed the visitors claw their way back with three quick wickets in the final session.India went through the motions in the first two sessions, failing to be as “brave” as bowling coach Morne Morkel had expected after enforcing the follow-on. They not only lacked innovation but were also unable to control the proceedings, allowing easy runs to the Lankan batters. The fields the spinners were bowling to, and the consistent protection offered for the reverse sweep, were baffling and spoke to a defensive mindset. As many as four fielders remained on the ropes, while those in the ring were positioned deep enough to be away from the batter’s uncomfortable eyeline.“I think that was what the discussion was all about between Gautam, the captain and all the spinners. We wanted to hold that position and that is why we had open fields,” spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule told the media after the end of day’s play.“The spinners were assigned different roles and they all played their part to perfection. The beauty of Test cricket is such that things can quickly change in sessions, so that is what we saw, where we picked wickets in the final session,” he explained further.The ordinary bowling didn’t help, as Manav Suthar, Ravindra Jadeja and Saransh Jain collectively lacked control and a plan for the fluent approach taken by Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis. The left-right pair was very busy, feasted on some ordinary bowling and kept the board ticking with open fields that offered comfortable singles.Pasindu, in particular, operated with a sense of fluent urgency, and neither he nor Mendis allowed Suthar to settle into a rhythm. Suthar, India’s most impressive bowler from the first Test, leaked runs at over six an over off his first eight overs, which definitely played a part in captain Shubman Gill resorting to defensive fields.“As I said, that was the plan. With regards to Manav Suthar, he is a quality bowler and experiences like these will only help him adapt and understand his game better,” said Bahutule.The fast bowlers also showed one-dimensional planning, as the short ball remained their only ploy. Prasidh Krishna operated with men in catching positions for mistimed hooks and pulls. While he did manage to pick up a wicket with the trap, the period lacked creativity and the bravado that was needed at the hour. India never looked like constructing a proper spell with sustained pressure from both ends. The only out-of-the-box thought came against Pasindu when Rishabh Pant moved up to the stumps to restrict the batter to the crease.Two men in catching positions on the leg side seemed a well-thought-out plan, and it planted seeds of doubt in the right-hander, who was playing only his third Test innings. The movement was restricted, fluency was halted, and Suthar capitalised on the batter’s itchiness when he pushed one way outside the off stump, catching the batter out of his crease. Pant completed the formalities and India collectively sighed in relief after dismissing the batter who had made them toil hard in both innings.It was Suthar’s second wicket in as many overs, and when Saransh Jain got Niroshan Dickwella early, it was up to the bowlers to wrap up the lower order in a hurry. Had the heavy rain not arrived early, Sri Lanka would have been in for a tough time because there was a rare period of 36 deliveries when not a single run was scored. After the hold, India managed to apply the choke, even if only briefly, setting up an exciting Day 5. For India, enforcing the follow-on was a no-brainer, and the entire group reached a collective agreement without debate.“We have been keeping an eye on the clouds since rain has been around from Galle. So we were ready to enforce the follow-on and so were the bowlers. To have the best shot,” said Bahutule.The clouds will continue to attract the attention they have had in the last few weeks, and India would hope the dark, grey formations remain away from the stadium, allowing them to bundle out Sri Lanka early and then chase whatever target is set for them. In Bahutule’s words, there is a familiar “thorn in the flesh”, Sonal, standing between them and 2-0.Brief ScoresIndia: 503 for 9 declaredSri Lanka: 290 & 229 for 6 (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92, Kamindu Mendis 50; Manav Suthar 2/81, Prasidh Krishna 1/31)
