Sunil Gavaskar says an elite Ranji side can defeat Sri Lanka right now
What's the story?
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar stated that the current Sri Lankan Test side would find it difficult to beat an elite Ranji team right now. Dinesh Chandimal's team is in shambles in the third and final Test against India at the end of day two.
"To be frank, you can't call this a Test match. The Indian team hasn't been tested at all. A Ranji team in the elite status can beat this Sri Lankan side," said the batting great in the post-match discussion on Sony Liv.
Gavaskar is not the only cricket expert who is disappointed with Sri Lanka's below par performance. Here are a couple of tongue-in-cheek tweets from former Indian cricketers Aakash Chopra and Sanjay Manjrekar about the lack of fight from the hosts:
In case you didn't know...
Sri Lanka had to face the wrath of Hardik Pandya's bat in the morning session, where the youngster scored his maiden first class hundred. The afternoon session saw a flurry of wickets and the entire Sri Lankan team was back in the hut.
Virat Kohli, who is generally reluctant to enforce the follow-on, did so without any hassle immediately after his bowlers scalped the tenth wicket. The hosts have already lost Upul Tharanga in their second innings and were tottering at 19/1 at the end of day's play.
The details
Gavaskar also talked about Kuldeep Yadav's impressive performance in the game. The youngster got a chance in the playing XI almost three months after his Test debut and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
He dismissed four Sri Lankan batsmen and looked extremely good with the ball.
Gavaskar admired the youngster and he has shown a tendency of learning from his mistakes in the limited international cricket that he has participated in. He also talked about the fact that there was no Sri Lankan batsman who could read Yadav and praised the bowler for his consistent effort in the game.
What's next?
India are 9 wickets away from whitewashing Sri Lanka in their own backyard. Kohli will expect his bowlers to get the job done tomorrow.
Ravindra Jadeja was suspended from this Test, but that hasn't affected the Indian side in the least. They have gone about their business throughout the game and stopping them from clinching a win seems almost impossible for the battered and bruised Sri Lankan side right now.
Author's take
While Gavaskar's words might seem a tad far-fetched, it is no surprise that Sri Lankan cricket will need to work hard to lift itself to its former glory. They are yet to qualify for the ICC World Cup 2019, and they still haven't been able to replace Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan years after their retirement.
The upcoming ODI series against India will be even tougher on the hosts but will provide them with a chance to turn things around. Can they grab it before time runs out?