India in Sri Lanka: The Dance That Changed The Day?

Dance. Defined as - 'move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps'. (India in Sri Lanka: The Oohs, The Drop and The Third Ball Six)

One over after the 2nd session of play started, the rain surprised and interrupted proceedings. As the Indian team walked off the field, Captain Virat Kohli moved rhythmically to music. Now there are probably two ways to look at his eye catching moves. (Mathews Ton Keeps Sri Lanka Afloat)

1. He just liked the catchy song just as I did and couldn't help but jive to it.

2. He was simply trying to relieve some of the stress the other members of the team were oozing considering India had failed to take a single Sri Lankan wicket in the 1st session with Mathews and Thirimanne notching up half centuries on the day.

I leave the conjecture up to you but I shall make my case. Virat's moves were the only significant movement in an almost gloomy dressing room at the time and here's what happened shortly after Virat stepped up. (Seen the movie series Step Up?)

1st over: Disaster - Virat Kohli tried the short ball strategy and Ishant Sharma was smashed for three pulls, all of which crossed the boundary rope.

2nd over: Back to the basics - R Ashwin gives away one run.

3rd over: Staying with the basics - Ishant Sharma gets the wicket of Lahiru Thirimanne. Next ball, Dinesh Chandimal was hit on the helmet by a ferocious delivery from Ishant.

India had hit back and it may just have been a slight jig from the Captain that helped them stay the course and not lose the plot.

In the subsequent overs, Ishant took out Chandimal for 11, Stuart Binny finally took his maiden Test wicket in the form of Angelo Mathews, Amit Mishra removed Dhammika Prasad for 5 and had another clear decision go against him.

Eventually, Sri Lanka collapsed from 241 for 3 to 306 all out, losing 7 wickets for 65 runs. India would walk in to bat in the 2nd innings with an 87-run lead. Now, to hopefully clinch it.

In the middle of India's come back in the 2nd session, there was another rain break. Virat didn't dance but a certain famous Sri Lankan cricket fan did. Percy Abeysekara is known as Sri Lanka's one man army in the stands.

During the rain break, he jived his way towards the waiting by the boundary Indian team and happily convinced Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay to join him in a little jig. The television cameras even caught it. Vijay and Rohit couldn't avoid getting a cheek kiss from Percy too.

But what Virat Kohli had started had somehow been finished by Percy unknowingly.

The game had overturned, and if you're a psychologist you might believe that it was indeed a jig or two that made the Indian team believe that 'hey, it's not the end of the world'.

On day 2, Percy literally caught me, and made me slow dance in front of an entire stand at the ground. It was embarrassing. But a short walk away I realized it was much more.

The dance with an old man had lifted my spirits, not like I needed that, but it was a serious bonus and made me realize that life, work, cricket sometimes gets too serious.

It's probably tiny moments like these that help us from sinking when nothing seems to be going our way, like was the case with the Indian team.

India is now on top of Sri Lanka in the game. Percy has stopped waving the Sri Lankan flag. Maybe I should ask him for a dance?

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