Colombo, Aug. 3: India suffered by fielding their most inexperienced attack in recent times. The third Test marked only the fifth occasion where the team did not have either Harbhajan Singh or Anil Kumble in their ranks.
With a combined experience of 45 Tests, it was a tough ask for the quartet of Ishant Sharma, A. Mithun, Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra to challenge a competent Sri Lankan top-order.
Adding to their woes was the Kookaburra ball that failed to provide as much assistance as the SG, used in India.
“Obviously the SG does something through the day. But the Kookaburra does not do much after the 20th over. The seam goes soft too. There is a difference but that cannot be a complaint. We have to focus on what we have to do and bowl with what is available to us,” said Ojha who finished with two wickets.
The general complaint has been the lack of exposure to other brand of balls for Indian bowlers. Apart from England (Duke) only India uses a variety of balls while the other other Test-playing nations don’t. Ojha downplayed the issue. “We did practice with the Kookaburra before coming to Sri Lanka,” he said.
The wicket had a lot to offer, agreed Ojha. “A couple of balls bounced, turned and stopped on the batsmen, especially when I was bowling to Jayawardene. It did excite me; I knew sticking to the basics was the key. I did that and got my reward.”
The team missed the expertise of a Zaheer Khan with the new ball and Harbhajan Singh in the final session. However Ojha saw this an opportunity to prove himself in their absence.