Mahela Jayawardene began this tour of India with a double hundred and hoped to finish it on a high, but was forced to
sit out the Delhi ODI with a groin strain. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“When we saw the pitch, we thought it would be two-paced, and that some deliveries would keep low, like during the CL T20,” Jayawardene told HT on Sunday evening. “But a few balls just took off. Jayasuriya was hit, Dilshan was hit so badly that he had to be rushed for an X-ray.”
“We understand that a lot goes into getting a ground ready for a match and that spectators are really keen,” explained Jayawardene. “We really wanted to make a match of it and played more than 20 overs. But when Kandamby and Pushpakumara got hit, we thought it was not fair play.”
Jayawardene and skipper Kumar Sangakkara then asked the batsmen to speak to the umpires. “They had a chat, then Kumar went and spoke to the umpires. The Indian players were probably also of the view that it was scary and dangerous,” said Jayawardene.
“If the odd ball does something funny then any batsman takes it as a challenge and tries to ride it out. But to expect the tailenders to bat in those conditions would have been putting them at risk,” said Jayawardene. “Later, the Indians would have been under the same gun.”
“The reaction time for a batsman is less than a second. If he has to judge line and length, and can't rely on the bounce, you become very vulnerable,” he explained. “At one point it went beyond challenge and into serious risk.”
Jayawardene, however, tried to play down the fallout of the incident. “I've played at Delhi before and it's usually a great pitch to bat on. But, in my limited experience, when you relay a square, it takes at least a year to settle down.”
{{/usCountry}}Jayawardene, however, tried to play down the fallout of the incident. “I've played at Delhi before and it's usually a great pitch to bat on. But, in my limited experience, when you relay a square, it takes at least a year to settle down.”
{{/usCountry}}Despite being at the receiving end, Jayawardene called for calm. “We should not point fingers at anyone. When the curators prepare a pitch, and we score 400, they're blamed. If we're out for 100, we say it's a rubbish pitch,” he said. “No one does these things purposely.”
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