However in the growing list of howlers in wrong usage of DRS,
Soumya Sarkar topped the list. He is one
of Bangladesh’s most reliable batsmen. But he is not so reliable while taking
DRS calls it seems, as he in all probability became the first international
cricketer to take review after getting bowled during Bangladesh’s first Test
against Sri Lanka in Galle. The astonishing event happened on the second ball
of the fifth day with Sarkar batting on 53. He failed to judge the line of a
delivery from right-arm medium pacer Asela Gunaratne as the ball clipped the
top of his off stump. With Bangladesh chasing a massive target of 457, opener
Sarkar’s wicket was crucial and he bowled everyone including the commentators by
his asking for a review after being bowled !!
At Bangalore, Starc picked
up a stress fracture in his right foot and his exit has opened a path for
Cummins to return to the Test squad for the first time since his memorable
debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011. That time, Cummins bowled
with high pace and precision to earn man of the match honours at the age of 18,
also striking the winning runs to help the Australians secure a tense,
two-wicket victory over the Proteas to level the series. He has returned older
and wiser but once more at a juncture of high significance for the national
team.
Pat Cummins has declared his readiness to be unleashed for what he feels will be a second beginning to his Test career, should he play for Australia in the pivotal third Border-Gavaskar bout in Ranchi, more than five years after his memorable debut against South Africa in Johannesburg. Aussies look forward that his pace would blow Indians over and one is reminded of the hype of Shaun Tait blowing them over at Perth under a session.However, another one, fast bowler James Pattinson has revealed that he asked Australia's selectors not to consider him for an international return against India after a string of injuries that have left him wary of rushing his latest comeback. Facing them could be Murali Vijay who might well replace another from Tamilnadu Abhinav Mukund. Not many from TN have played for India – as I could recall ~ from the days of CS Rangachari and MJ Gopalan to middle ages – Srinivasan Venkatraghavan, VV Kumar, Bharat Reddy, TE Srinivasan, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, TA Sekar, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, WV Raman, VB Chandrasekhar, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Singh, Sadagoppan Ramesh, L Balaji, Hemang Badani, Ravi Ashwin, A Mukund – there is a strong contender – Murali Vijay.
Vijay is all set to play his 50th test that he missed
out in Bengaluru. In 84 innings, he has
made 3307 runs with 9 centuries and 14 50s at an average of 39.84 – though this
stroke maker has had lesser ODIs. 28 Indians have reached this milestone, but
only 4 of them Sunny Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Navjot Singh
Sidhu were fulltime openers. Shoulder
permitting, Vijay will join them in Ranchi.
It will have taken Vijay an awfully long time, by the standards of his
day, to get there. He made his debut back in 2008, in Sourav Ganguly's farewell
Test, and has missed 37 of India's 86 Tests since then.
Can you recall that test no. 1512 at Dhaka in Nov 2000 that India
won by 9 wickets. Bangladesh's performance in their inaugural Test was an apt
presage of what was to follow. After making 400 in the first innings, they were
bowled out for 91 when they needed to push the game ahead. For the first four
years in Test cricket, they didn't hit such heights often - crossing 400 runs
only once during this period - but they managed to push the opposition to varying
degrees. In that test Aminul Islam
scored a ton, and Sunil Joshi top scored with 92 for India !
Bangladesh are set to play their 100th test too.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
14th Mar 2017.
