July 18: India coach Gary Kirsten was hopeful of a turnaround after a average show by the bowlers on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka here on Sunday. “I think it’s a bit premature to say that they have taken a stranglehold when we have not batted yet,” said Kirsten.
“They showed good application and at the same time the wicket didn’t do as much as we expected.” The onus will be early wickets, Kirsten stressed. “Obviously we will want to come out and have a good session where we can get some wickets and restrict their scoring rate. It’s a situation where we need to built some pressure and create a few opportunities.
“Looks like it’s going to be a rain-affected match so we need to bat well in the first innings,” noted the South African. A chase in excess of 250 can be tricky on this surface as the hosts found out in 2008.
Tharanga Paranavitana saw the wicket favouring the batsmen and there was nothing wrong with the India attack. The left-hander who notched up a maiden Test hundred after having failed to reach three figures on previous occasions said: “The odd ball did do a bit but the wicket is still true. A score in the region of 350-400 will be safe.”
With rains forcing an early closure and more rough weather predicted for the next three days, the opener saw Sri Lanka’s chances getting hampered. “It will be difficult even if we were to get to a winning situation,” added Paranavitana.