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S Kannan in New Delhi
An Asian cricket flavour will be on view when India and Sri Lanka square off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday as the ICC World Cup reaches a crescendo. Traditional match previews will tout this as a match where the Men in Blue are on the ascendant and their Sri Lankan counterparts are struggling like never before. These days, any mention of cricketers from the Emerald Isle whips up a whirlpool of emotions as Percy Abeysekera, the Superfan who waved the flag for his nation’s dreams across so many decades, passed away on Monday.
To say that Percy’s sad demise adds to the sombre mood is stating the obvious since this Lankan side has lacked flair and fluency in this 2023 campaign. For all those who have followed Sri Lankan cricket over the years, there has been a huge presence of characters. Much before Twenty20 cricket began with the sustained assaults by batsmen, this tiny nation had explosive players in their ranks.
This generation may not have a connect with names like Sanath Jayasuriya, an trailblazing marauder with the bat, Aravinda de Silva, nicknamed Mad Max, or Arjuna Ranatunga, their rotund but highly skilled captain. But for those of certain vintage, the memories they created during the 1996 World Cup on the subcontinent are unforgettable.
With India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka joint hosts, Australia did not want to travel to Sri Lanka, due to strife and war. The demand for “Eelam” and the LTTE’s war with the Sinhalese majority and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) had left the Aussies worried. Never mind, the Sri Lankans came to India and showed they were the underdogs with a bite. Of many crazy World Cup scripts, the 1996 one was most fairy-tale-like, though someone like Manoj Prabahakar –
“almost finished” after Sri Lanka’s batters went hammer and tongs at the Feroz Shah Kotla – might disagree.
If 1996 is considered ancient cricket, the 2011 World Cup is fresher in memory, primarily because that was the last time India won it. To say that MS Dhoni, the skipper, does not deserve credit is uncharitable, as everyone knows MSD was never a selfish player or leader. Images of him slinking away after the win in the final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in April 2011, and handing over the trophy to Sachin Tendulkar, remind one of the “Phunsuk Wangdoo” character in Three Idiots, the Bollywood movie.
If Dhoni is still there in the collective consciousness of the public, Sri Lanka have faded into near-oblivion since 2011. If you look at the India-Sri Lanka scorecard from the 2011 final, Sri Lanka had great characters, big names and match-winners. The names of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan(famous for his scoop), Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara still ring a bell. Each one was a winner on his day, though the debate over whether it was sleight of hand or a bent arm that was central to Muralitharan’s success will rage on! The late Bishan Singh Bedi certainly had strong views on the matter.
Compared to the Class of 2011, Sri Lanka have slid massively. Two campaigns after that, in 2015 and 2019, showed the former champions unable to produce champagne stuff. To say that cricket has lost charm for the population is wrong, for they are passionate about it. They hold local leagues, a T20 competition and hosted an important event like the Asia Cup just recently.
For sheer bandwidth, volume of cricket played, producing champions and the presence of marquee names, India versus Sri Lanka is no longer really an even contest. And the context again is how India have been able to sustain high intensity and perform well.
The cricket-crazy fans and even some high priests of the BCCI may have been uncharitable in dispensing with Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri for not having won a big trophy, but the Indian team have been strong. Two campaigns, in Australia in 2015 and England in 2019, did raise hopes of a title win, dreams that were ultimate dashed at the semifinal stage.
This Class of 2023 has looked ruthless, with so many powerful names in the side. Rohit Sharma, Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are all potential match-winners. Of course, a mention of Hardik Pandya at this stage would be improper, as he is still on the injured list.
Yet, when you compare these names with the Sri Lankan list, one feels sad. Anyone who celebrates another sporting team doing badly has to be a pessimist, not a sports lover. Where are the legends and characters in Sri Lankan cricket? Agreed, they have been ravaged by injuries, but could one Wanindu Hasaranga have made all the difference? The answer is both “yes” and “no”.
No team can call itself a champion side if it relies on just one or two big players. This is where India have so many rock stars in the 2023 side. Those sitting on the bench, like R Ashwin and Shami, for the first four games, would walk into most other XIs.
If you are a romantic relic and want to pore over the 2011 World Cup final scorecard, please do so. So much has changed since then. Oh yes, did we hear Rohit express regret at the pollution levels in his own city? Hopefully, some good, competitive cricket will clear the air for the legions of fans.