Saransh Jain got out in the second over of the morning, fending off a short delivery from Asitha Fernando, and the war of attrition began. Rishabh Pant, retired hurt last evening after taking a blow on the forearm, walked out to bat again. Sri Lanka turned to Bodyline.
Cricket is resplendent when there’s a proper battle out there over a significant period of time. Only Test cricket can offer that, a reason why it will always remain the game’s greatest format. It is an arena that separates the men from the boys. As Pant resumed his innings, Dhananjaya de Silva, the Sri Lanka captain, instantly made his intentions clear — short and into the body from Lahiru Kumara and Fernando, with a leg-side-heavy field. The hosts wanted to test Pant’s resolve, and he was game.
The wicketkeeper-batsman had to be judicious in his approach, and he showed wonderful discipline. There was still a six off Kumara that landed on the stadium roof, but Pant wasn’t looking to hit everything out of the park. Far from it. He was ready to take blows.
A Fernando bouncer made him unsure whether to duck or sway back, and the ball eventually hit him on the shoulder. It lobbed up and nearly landed on the stumps. It was a lucky escape. Some treatment was required, and Pant was good to go again.
Keshara Nuwantha beat him with a beauty, a tossed-up delivery drawing the batsman forward and going past the outside edge. But it was an aberration, for the battle was going on elsewhere.
Fernando hit Pant again, with another short ball on off. The length did the trick and didn’t allow the batsman to duck under it. Pant decided to take it on his body. Courage personified.
From Sri Lanka’s point of view, they didn’t have a tearaway quick to boast of, but together, Fernando and Kumara were proving to be greater than the sum of their parts. Dhananjaya’s captaincy was good, and his bowlers stuck to a plan and executed it well.
As for Pant, he was ready to take a beating. Every time he walks out to bat, the maverick carries a narrative. That he is a non-conformist in terms of his batting identity makes Pant the player he is. When he gets out to what lesser mortals term as extravagance, the narrative turns bitter. But here’s a player who always puts his body on the line for his team — be it with a bruised forearm or a broken foot.
After 14 overs of the day’s play, spin was operating from both ends. Pant won the ‘Bodyline’ battle. On the stroke of lunch on Day 2 of the second Test, Pant reached his half-century (81 balls) with a four off Nuwantha — his 21st in Tests.
Spare a thought for Dhruv Jurel as well, who reached his half-century (97 balls) three deliveries later, hitting a four against Prabath Jayasuriya. India went to lunch on 419/6.
At 307/6, the game hung in the balance. The unbroken 112-run seventh-wicket partnership between Pant and Jurel has probably taken it away from Sri Lanka.
Lunch scores: India 419/6 (Rishabh Pant 63 batting, Dhruv Jurel 59 batting; Asitha Fernando 4/60) vs Sri Lanka
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