Goodwill hunting: One wrong changes all rights

In the post Muttiah Muralitharan era,Sri Lanka were hoping to unearth an off-spinner who could at least hold one end up...

In the post Muttiah Muralitharan era,Sri Lanka were hoping to unearth an off-spinner who could at least hold one end up and not be found wanting at the international level. The Sri Lankan camp were clear that they wouldnt find another Murali. Then came along Suraj Randiv.

It was only a question of time before Randiv would become a regular in the Sri Lankan squad. Six years ago,he had impressed former skipper Mahela Jayawardene. It resulted in Randiv changing colours from Matara SC to Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Randiv has been impressive to say the least. Without a doosra in his repertoire,the lanky offie managed to surprise Sehwag by getting him stumped on 99,after beating him all ends up in only his second Test match at the P Sara Oval.

Randiv is the kind of spinner that skipper Kumar Sangakkara was looking for once the worlds best spinner retired from Tests,as he has the uncanny knack to bowl consistently to his field and has shown the heart to bowl tirelessly when the team needs to ensure that there is no let-up in pressure. These attributes,apart from being a champion wicket-taker,is what first made Muralitharan irreplaceable.

It is too early to say how successful Randiv will ultimately become in the long run. However,he has shown the right signs so far. Even in the second Test at SSC his debut game Randiv showed a lot of heart to come back stronger and dismiss Sehwag after being bullied by him.

But it was in his second game where he really blossomed. Randiv opened the bowling and then delivered 21 overs on the trot. He bowled both over and around the wicket,but it was the latter line which he used largely to make life difficult for the Indian batsmen.

The Sri Lankans had packed the leg-side and it meant Randiv couldnt afford to stray. That is exactly what he did right through Indias second inning of the third and final Test match. Randiv picked up all the five wickets that fell in Indias successful run-chase led by VVS Laxmans unbeaten 103,including that of Sehwag with the new ball,Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

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What makes Randiv special is his accuracy and his focus. In the tri-series,Randiv hasnt really got an opportunity to show his wares,except when he made 43 off 61 balls while batting at No.8. When he came on to bowl in the 21st over of the innings,India were 79 for three.

He tried to keep it tight by coming around the wicket to Sehwag and retaining a leg-slip. Sehwag though,was up to the challenge. Sehwag cut and hit him through backward point to earn two consecutive boundaries.

If it wasnt his day bowling wise on Monday,the situation moved from bad to worse when he overstepped with the scores level and denied Sehwag a century. But Randiv is still on track as he has afterall done just about everything right in his international career,well almost.