Fully warmed up, ready for the test

The street lights outside the Nondescripts Cricket Club ground were about to be switched on when the Sri Lankan Board...

The street lights outside the Nondescripts Cricket Club ground were about to be switched on when the Sri Lankan Board President8217;s XI players gingerly changed their positions between overs, but the Indians batsmen were in a mood to squeeze out every bit of practice they could on the final day of the lone warm-up game before the first Test. With Gautam Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly 8212; both missed a chance to spend time in the middle in the first innings 8212; at the crease, fading light or mercy on the rivals wasn8217;t a pressing concern for the Indian team management.

After his two-ball stay on Saturday, Gambhir faced 82 more on Sunday to score 60. Ganguly faced 45 balls to take his tally of balls faced to 63. Both Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid played 57 balls each during the course of the match.

VVS, the odd one out

Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a 76-ball 69 on Saturday, had enough so he didn8217;t step out to bat on the final day. The only one to miss out was VVS Laxman, who after being out off the second ball on Saturday, didn8217;t get a chance to bat again.

India coach Gary Kirsten, though, said that there wasn8217;t much to be read from this game. He added that he would have liked Laxman to be on the pitch again. But for that to happen, they would have to install the floodlights as stumps were uprooted in this drawn encounter at 6.10 pm at Colombo.

With rain being a constant threat, the Indians judiciously used their time. With the local batsmen occupying the crease for the first two sessions, the Indian team management saw to it that everyone got a chance to strike a rhythm.

Skipper Anil Kumble, who bowled 13 overs and took 3 wickets in the first innings, didn8217;t turn his arm in the second. And that meant Harbhajan Singh had an extended spell of 16 overs to finish with two wickets. He settled into a smooth stride and troubled the rival batsmen with his flight and guile.

Dismissing any talk of physical discomfort to the skipper, Kirsten said, 8220;Kumble was just managing his body and that8217;s why he sat out.8221; Considering the huge workload ahead, the veteran leggie was saving his energy for the bigger battles.

Story continues below this ad

If one indulged in nit-picking, Zaheer Khan once again gave his team an early breakthrough but was no-balled 11 times. Though that wasn8217;t something that would make Kirsten lose sleep.

8220;Very happy with Zaheer and the way he bowled. No-balls aren8217;t a cause of concern in case he gets us wickets in a Test match,8221; he said. The same was true for Ishant Sharma, who once again complemented Zaheer by dismissing the other opener.

Now the action moves next door to the SSC ground where the first Test will begin from Wednesday. Most of the Indians have warmed up and the Sri Lankans too have been regular with the work out.

After Sunday8217;s street light-time finish, it will time to burn the midnight oil for the real Test.