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Losing early wickets did us in: Jayawardene
Losing three early wickets in their second innings cooked Sri Lanka's goose in the second Test against India, rued home captain Mahela Jayawardene.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: August 08, 2008 04:25 PM IST
Read Time:2 min
Galle:
Chasing 307, Sri Lanka needed a good start but with Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan reducing them to 10 for three within four overs in the second innings, the home side hardy had any chance to recover, Jayawardene said.
"Batting first would have been ideal though I don't think toss alone was crucial. Though it was not easy to chase down 307, I thought we could have achieved it. It's always important to get a good start when you chase, which is something we did not get. That is probably where we lost the game," Jayawardene said after his side lost by 170 runs to allow the Indians level the series 1-1.
Jayawardene felt Ishant did an excellent job with the new ball and felt Sri Lanka would do well to learn their lesson from the defeat.
"We felt that in these kind of conditions usually slow medium guys are effective. Ishant is an exceptional bowler and with his height he creates a bit of bounce on these kind of wickets. So that is something that India enjoys.
"We too need to make a smart choice. I think we will have a chat with the selectors. We have got a few options in our squad as well," he said.
Jayawardene, however, was happy to see Ajantha Mendis among the wickets and said the mystery spinner is destined for more glory.
"I'm very happy for Ajantha Mendis as he got 10 wickets in his second Test. I think he bowled brilliantly and supported the other bowlers as well.
"Overall, the bowling unit fought very well throughout the match and created opportunities for us and kept the Indians under control. What was disappointing is how we batted today. It was important to keep wickets in hand when we are chasing down, which we did not," he said.
"Anyway, it was a disappointing Test match but it was not a bad one. We played good cricket for two and half days or three days and then lost it in the last two sessions of the fourth day," he added.
Making it clear that he was not happy with the batsmen's effort the Sri Lankan skipper said, "I thought we could give them a better fight. We fought whenever we were down to come back in this Test match. To get six wickets this morning in quick time and restricting the Indians to 260 was a brilliant effort. That gave us an opportunity to chase down the score but I'm very disappointed with the way we played the last two sessions."
Losing three early wickets in their second innings cooked Sri Lanka's goose in the second Test against India, rued home captain Mahela Jayawardene.Chasing 307, Sri Lanka needed a good start but with Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan reducing them to 10 for three within four overs in the second innings, the home side hardy had any chance to recover, Jayawardene said.
"Batting first would have been ideal though I don't think toss alone was crucial. Though it was not easy to chase down 307, I thought we could have achieved it. It's always important to get a good start when you chase, which is something we did not get. That is probably where we lost the game," Jayawardene said after his side lost by 170 runs to allow the Indians level the series 1-1.
Jayawardene felt Ishant did an excellent job with the new ball and felt Sri Lanka would do well to learn their lesson from the defeat.
"We felt that in these kind of conditions usually slow medium guys are effective. Ishant is an exceptional bowler and with his height he creates a bit of bounce on these kind of wickets. So that is something that India enjoys.
"We too need to make a smart choice. I think we will have a chat with the selectors. We have got a few options in our squad as well," he said.
Jayawardene, however, was happy to see Ajantha Mendis among the wickets and said the mystery spinner is destined for more glory.
"I'm very happy for Ajantha Mendis as he got 10 wickets in his second Test. I think he bowled brilliantly and supported the other bowlers as well.
"Overall, the bowling unit fought very well throughout the match and created opportunities for us and kept the Indians under control. What was disappointing is how we batted today. It was important to keep wickets in hand when we are chasing down, which we did not," he said.
"Anyway, it was a disappointing Test match but it was not a bad one. We played good cricket for two and half days or three days and then lost it in the last two sessions of the fourth day," he added.
Making it clear that he was not happy with the batsmen's effort the Sri Lankan skipper said, "I thought we could give them a better fight. We fought whenever we were down to come back in this Test match. To get six wickets this morning in quick time and restricting the Indians to 260 was a brilliant effort. That gave us an opportunity to chase down the score but I'm very disappointed with the way we played the last two sessions."
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