Injury scare, wet start fail to dampen focussed Lankans
Cyclone Phyan may have given Mumbai a miss but overnight showers ensured the Sri Lankans stayed indoors on Wednesday, the opening day of their warm up game against the Board President's XI, reports Abhijeet Kulkarni.
Cyclone Phyan may have given Mumbai a miss but overnight showers ensured the Sri Lankans stayed indoors on Wednesday, the opening day of their warm up game against the Board President's XI.
Unlike their counterparts, who preferred to take the day off after the umpires announced that no play was possible, the visitors spent over three hours training at the indoor facility of the MCA.
The Lankans faced an injury scare in the morning when the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan twisted his ankle during pre-nets training and had to be taken for precautionary scans.
“The doctors have advised a few days of rest,” said Dilshan after returning from hospital.
There was no word from the team management over the exact nature of injury but it is unlikely that he will take part in the warm-up game.
In his absence, the other top order batsmen spent time working on their defence, while Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis were the bowlers in action.
The spin trio showcased the abundance of riches Kumar Sangakkara has in the department and it will be interesting how the 32-year-old captain tackles the selection dilemma.
Sangakkara has already made it clear that he would watch his bowlers' performance at the nets and in warm-up game before finalizing the line-up. With the first day getting washed out and play uncertain over the next two days, the net session was all the more intense.
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene spent considerable time talking to Mendis in between deliveries. The chief tormentor during India's tour of Sri Lanka last year has been in indifferent form, but with the psychological edge he has over the Indian batsmen, he could be back to his best by the time the first Test starts in Ahmedabad on November 16.