Colombo Test, Day 4, Tea
Saturday, September 1, 2001 The Indian batsmen showed a lot of resilience in the afternoon session. They need two more sessions like this to save the match. A lot will depend on Rahul Dravid's continued presence at the crease. He is the only Indian batsman with the ability to graft for long periods without suffering a lapse in concentration.

From the approach adopted in the afternoon, it's clear that the Indians have pulled down the shutters and opted to play for the honourable draw.

Dravid was composed and unhurried all afternoon and at no stage did he look frustrated. Sadagoppan Ramesh did all the hard work in the morning and was undone by an almost unplayable delivery from Murali in the afternoon. His new role as sheet anchor doesn't suit him at all. With all the deficiencies in his technique he is bound to be beaten time and again; hence this new role of grafter does not suit him. The defensive approach hasn't done the team too many favours either and he would do well to sort out his game.

Common cricket wisdom suggests that a bowler needs support from the other end to excel. Watching Murali though, you get to see the other side of the story. It's quite apparent that Murali sees it as being an advantage. With no quality spinners to back him up, he is assured of bowling long spells. Even if he goes seven or eight overs without taking a wicket, he needn't worry about being taken out of the attack. He is so secure in his role in the team that he can concentrate purely on outfoxing the batsmen.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to Dileep Premachandran.

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