India vs Sri Lanka: Sweep or be clean-swept for visitors

“It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat in the second innings, but I took the challenge and was determined to get some runs. Ashwin was likely to get wickets there, so I was thinking to play first five overs without any big shots. I realised it won’t be easy and played a lot of reverse sweeps, which forced them to change their plans. I try to play in my comfort zone always. That’s the key for me. I try to bat for longer periods and that’s my gameplan,” Karunaratne said.

‘Thinking out of the box’

He revealed that sweeps and reverse sweeps would be big part of his batting plans against the Indian spinners in the forthcoming three-Test series. Karunaratne believes that an out-of-the-box approach can upset India’s bowling rhythm.

“ If you need to change the field you have to do something extra. Otherwise Jadeja and Ashwin are both hungry for wickets every time. So when they bowl good line and lengths, I stick to the basics. If I don’t give any chance to them, they will try to do something else. That’s my plan, to wait for the loose ones from both spinners. If it’s not working, then I will try something out of the box and put pressure on the bowlers,” Karunaratne said, adding: “We practised on dusty wickets in Sri Lanka.”

Sweep became very popular among the overseas batsmen to negate spin in the subcontinent ever since Graham Gooch had swept India out of the World Cup in 1987. Gooch’s relentless sweeping neutralised Ravi Shastri and Maninder Singh at Wankhede. He created a template. Later, the likes of Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers used the shot very effectively against the Indian spinners. Cook was the most successful of them all, hitting five centuries in 13 Tests here. Michael Clarke was a rare breed—972 runs in 13 Tests in India including three centuries—who used his feet against the spinners on turning pitches.

There had been occasions, when opposition batsmen managed to ruffle the Indian spinners by thinking out of the box and putting pressure on them. Ashwin, especially, has had a tendency to try too many variations, when his Plan A is not working. The Mumbai Test against England in 2012 was a case in point, when Pietersen unleashed his full repertoire of sweep shots, playing one of the greatest innings by an overseas batsman on Indian soil. Ashwin had conceded 145 runs in 42.3 overs on the face of an onslaught. The Ashwin of 2017, however, is a different beast.

Over the past 12-odd months, the offie has taken 99 wickets in 16 Tests and Jadeja bagged 84 scalps in 15. During India’s 3-0 clean sweep in Sri Lanka earlier this year, the two had accounted for 30 scalps.

Maybe, Karunaratne tried to play mind games ahead of the Test series, with “out of the box” remark. Then again, his consistency makes him Sri Lanka’s best bet to counter India’s spin threat. He will also have the small matter of facing Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami. “I played against them in the last series, so I have a few plans. I know what they will do with me, so I prepared before coming here. I will stick to that plan. If it needs changes, I will do that,” Karunaratne said.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 411/6 in 88 overs (S Samarawickrama74, N Dickwella 73*; Sandeep Warrier 2/60) vs Board President’s XI.