The Massacre At Colombo

An innings and 239 runs!

Four Sri Lanka batsmen had centuries (and none of their names ended with Jayasuriya). The highest scores by an Indian batsman were 56 and 43 (and none of these innings were by a batsman whose name ended with a Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, or Sehwag).

India loves to play in the Subcontinent. The dusty pitches blunt a pace attack and helps their own spinners. The Indian batsmen have always prided themselves on their ability to play spin, thereby playing up their advantage at home.


And then Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis (the latter making his Test debut) demolished Our Boys, with figures of 11 (11!) for 110 and 8 for 132.

Yup, the Indians, the "masters" of spin, were a combined 19 for 242 against Sri Lanka's, wait for it, spinners.

All the hype was focused on Mendis going into this match given his mind-bending 6 for 13 performance against India in the Asia Cup final. But the wily old master Muralitharan wasn't going away easily; not only did he win his 19th Man of the Match Award (19th?!), but he also dismissed the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar for the seventh time in Tests, the most number of times Tendulkar has been dismissed by a bowler.


And just like, India was done in again.

Just, just when you start believing in them, that's when they let you down.

LINKS

Cricinfo: Murali and Mendis Maul India
Cricinfo: Match Home