Sourav Ganguly’s net session is long over but he’s still got his pads on, while the thigh-guard hangs loosely over his hips. He watches the other batsmen spending time on the central square but repeatedly looks towards the dressing room, where skipper Anil Kumble has disappeared with coach Gary Kirsten some time back. Eventually, he shouts towards a team mate heading to the locker room, “Zara pucch Kumble se aa raha hai kya (Ask Kumble if he’s coming back).”On the eve of the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Ganguly wasn’t keen to close his kitbag for the day without facing the veteran spinner.He did bat against Harbhajan Singh and a couple of local spinners, but to take guard against Kumble was perhaps his version of some last-minute revision ahead of another battle against Lanka’s new spin sensation Ajantha. With the report-card of the entire batting department featuring red marks and a prominent ‘F’ at Colombo, it was hard to get the Indians out of the nets at Galle Cricket Club stadium on Wednesday — and the impression they gave was of nervous students shuffling their notes on the staircase of an exam hall. Rahul Dravid is almost ready to reach out for the Velcro on the pads but drops the idea as he notices Parthiv Patel sitting on the cool box. Soon Parthiv is giving throw-downs to Dravid, who stretches forward in defence, a stroke that got him out in the second innings of the first Test. Tendulkar too comes for his second innings at the nets for an old pre-match ritual — hitting countless cover drives to throw-downs.Two successive collapses have left a few egos bruised and cultivated doubts. The aftermath of the first Test humiliation has seen shrill voices of criticism, where the number of Tests played and the average age of an extremely experienced middle-order were the subject of ridicule. The circumstances are just right for a backlash, but it’s a long, hard climb ahead.Indian skipper Anil Kumble tries hard to convince one and all that it can be done, as it has been done before. “One-down is one-down, whether you’re in Australia or Sri Lanka. We’ve come back in the past with this same set of players. There is definitely a lot of resilience and experience in this team and we will fall back on that, put up a better show and get the right result here,” he says. No shuffling of personnel is expected and Kumble will be banking on his batsmen to play a big role in the expected revival. “The batsmen are experienced enough to work out what is the best option for them out in the middle and handle whatever comes their way.” The reason Kumble hasn’t lost hope is because of the team’s brush with resurrection during his first away tour to Australia as captain earlier this year. But where Australia was a test of character, here it is more about skills. On this serene island, the Indians are the likeable visitors who also share a cordial relationship with their rivals on the field. Here, there is no debate about objectionable comments or edgy umpires, nothing but a pure cricketing challenge lies ahead. The worldly wise Lankan skipper, Mahela Jayawardene has been around long to know that the series is far from over. “We know how good they are. I’m sure they are very disappointed after the first Test. They will come back strongly,” he said. But considering that Galle happens to be a happy hunting ground for the hosts, the Indians will need to push hard. Lanka has lost just one of the last nine games; Muttiah Muralitharan has picked up 91 wickets in 12 games; and Mahela Jayawardene enjoys a Bradmanesque average of 99 here. These are intimidating numbers, but if seen from the eyes of champions, these can be challenges that could trigger an adrenaline rush. At the start of the net session, as coach Kirsten gave slip catches to the cordon of batting stalwarts, he seemed quite satisfied. “Great intensity, guys,” he shouted. Kirsten will be dying to say those words when these slip fielders return after a batting stint at the Galle Cricket Club in the coming days.
