Runs from the bat, bowlers backing the batsmen and starting off the series with a bang. India couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 3-match Tests series as they registered a dominating 304-run victory over the hosts. The openers got runs, the rest of the batsmen chipped in with meaningful performances in both innings and the bowlers were classical with the ball bundling out Sri Lanka for 245 who were chasing 550 for victory. For the Indian captain, it was a case of having ticked all the boxes. “I think we have ticked our boxes but there are still some areas that we want to look back and improve upon,” Virat said. “When you have the opposition four or five down, we have to make sure that we don’t let the lower order get away with the few runs in the latter half of the innings. It’s something that we can still identify and work on in the next two games as well.
“But, it was good to get back in the groove, especially after having played so much one-day cricket since the last Test series we played in February. We did not have much time to prepare in between, so from that point of view, I feel we had a pretty good game. I am happy with the performance.”
Virat also stressed on the fact that the win hadn’t come easy and it required perseverance and hard work to register a 1-0 lead. He credited the bowlers for a good show. “The last time when we played here, the surface offered much more to the bowlers. It kept the bowlers in the game throughout, the quicks and the spinners more so. This time around the wicket was really good to bat on even till today. We had to work hard for getting all the wickets that we did. I think the bowlers came up with different plans, persisted long enough to get those breakthroughs and that’s something that always helps at the beginning of a series to get a victory on a surface which is not offering much. That really gives the team the confidence of doing it once more if we get a surface like that.
“We are always waiting for opportunities. When we get one, we really squeeze hard and try to get 2-3 more and that’s how you win Test matches. So, we have created that habit and now everyone knows that once you get a little opportunity then you really put more pressure on the opposition. I would say that we really executed our plans well to force the opposition to make mistakes regularly.”
It was a good day at the office for Virat himself. After having got out for just three in the first innings, Virat got back to the grind in between the innings to hone his skills and comeback stronger in the second innings. He notched up a fine unbeaten 103 in the process and registered his 17th Test ton. It was a satisfying number 17, he reckoned. “I think the second innings required us to play more positively, and I am glad I was able to do that along with Abhinav Mukund to get us enough time to get the opposition out and enough runs on the board for us to feel comfortable. I wasn’t certainly looking at things like how many innings I haven’t scored because when you are playing all formats, you don’t think which format you have not scored runs in how many innings. But it always feels good to get runs when the team wins.”
Virat was also particularly impressed with Hardik Pandya’s overall show. Pandya who made his debut in Galle was impressive with the bat in the first innings scoring a quickfire half century. He got a wicket in the first innings but didn’t have much to bowl in the second. Virat though was happy with Pandya’s overall show. Him delivering for the team would do a lot of good, Virat believed. “First innings, he didn’t get an opportunity to bowl much but I think in the second innings, he bowled really nicely on a wicket that wasn’t offering much. He kept at it in the right areas. He used the bouncer well. He bowls around 135 and when he bends his back he can go higher.
“He is a great asset and I have mentioned this before as well, especially his batting, otherwise we would have been 540-550 in the first innings. He got 50 quickly and that saves you time as well. That gives you another 15 overs to bowl at the opposition. His fielding is also tremendous. I have a lot of faith in him as far as any format is concerned. He has got the technique for Test cricket and he is a really good batsman. You might not look at it precisely but we understand how much he can bring to the table. I surely have a lot of faith in him that he will be able to perform on any surface on which he plays.”
