Over the years, panic has been known to spread in dressing-rooms within minutes. But it was proved in Galle on Thursday that, somehow, confidence doesn’t have that same infectious trait. As Virender Sehwag missed the rare cricketing feat of scoring a century before lunch by a mere nine runs with the first session ending at 151-0, it seemed India had taken a U-turn after losing the first Test by an innings. The two Ms — Muralitharan and Mendis — weren’t able to turn the ball enough to get a W. Nor was the rub of the green in Lanka’s favour as an inconclusive replay negated skipper Mahela Jayawardene’s review against Sehwag.But when play resumed under overcast conditions after a three-hour break because of rain, India were suddenly under the weather. By the time the fishermen on the sea-bank near the stadium removed their nets, it was easy to guess that their catch for the day would pale in comparison to that of the Lankan bowlers. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly failed to reach double figures soon after Gautam Gambhir was out for 56.India’s 214-4 on the first day is an improvement from the first Test, but with Sehwag scoring more than half those runs — 128 not out — it’s the case of a couple of individual highs masking a collective low. If Sehwag and Gambhir had started to demystify the Sri Lankan bowling attack, four quick wickets in fading light meant the halo around Mendis was reinstalled and Chaminda Vaas, the seamer who was a mere spectator in the first Test and close to being rested at Galle, was back in focus.When Vaas had ended his first spell in the morning, many would have guessed that his task again would be to simply take the shine off the ball and hand it over to the spinners. Vaas experienceBut, with flags on the fort behind him fluttering and the sun all but gone, he struck two vital blows. First, Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t get his bat to a ball pitching on leg-stump, and then Sourav Ganguly got a delivery that all newcomers to the crease dread — a full-pitched bait outside off — and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene took a stunning one-handed catch diving to the left.But, unquestionably, the man with the most questions in his head on Thursday would be Dravid. For the third time in this series, he got out to Mendis and for the second time in a row to the off-spin variation of the multi-skilled bowler. Just like in the second innings of the first Test, Dravid fell while playing a forward-defensive shot — the edge from the bat brushing the pad before reaching the hands of forward short-leg. The big difference, however, was that the third-umpire had been brought into play at SSC but not at Galle. Interestingly, in case Dravid had taken things upstairs by asking for a review this time, he may have survived because the fielder Malinda Warnapura had caught the ball after it hit his helmet, which is not permitted in the laws of the game.Dravid’s milestoneIronically, Dravid’s two runs today helped him become India’s second-highest run-getter after Tendulkar. But it’s hardly likely that champagne corks will pop in the Indian dressing room. When Sehwag and Laxman walked into the dressing room at the end of day’s play, they would’ve been greeted with clapping hands but crossed fingers.
