da dobrowin： As if Sanath Jayasuriya and Muthiah Muralitharan were not enough,India now have to contend with the firepower of Dilhara Fernando tooin the next two Tests
19-Aug-2001As if Sanath Jayasuriya and Muthiah Muralitharan were not enough,India now have to contend with the firepower of Dilhara Fernando tooin the next two Tests.The latest Sri Lankan pace discovery tormented the Indian battingline-up, finishing with match-figures of six for 77 in the first Testat Galle which the hosts won by ten wickets. And if his coach is to bebelieved, this was just the beginning.”He could be averaging 94 miles per hour (about 150 kph) soon enough,”Romesh Ratnayake said of his protege sending a warning to the Indiansahead of the second Test at Kandy starting on Wednesday.The bowler himself was not too excited by the tremendous pace that hegenerates, making him probably the fastest Sri Lankan ever.”Possessing pace is okay but it is nothing if you can’t take wickets,”he told PTI in a telephonic interview.He knows how to take wickets though. He simply ran through the Indianmiddle order on the morning of the second day of the Galle Test forhis second five-wicket in an innings haul in just the sixth match.”My theory is simple. You keep bowling in the right channel and sooneror later the results will show,” he said.The lanky fast bowler first came to prominence when he took fivewickets in an innings against South Africa in the Durban Test lastyear. It was the only bright spot in that series for Sri Lankans whowere crushed in both the Tests.Fernando, who honed his skills at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennaiduring a stint in 1998, rates that spell as his best of the career sofar. “Simply, because I was bowling against batsmen who are more usedto fast bowling,” he said matter of factly without any intention ofrunning down the Indians.The control on line and length that he showed against the Indians wasrare considering he was bowling with a new ball for the first time inhis career. “I had not previously bowled with the new ball. But afterNuwan (Zoysa) was injured, I was asked to take the new ball. Also, Ididn’t have enough confidence in myself,” he said.Though the lack of confidence was hardly evident, Fernando must havemade up for it after his superlative performance in the first Test.What he missed in the first Test though, was an opportunity to bowl tobatting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who is not playing in the series dueto a toe injury. Fernando said he would love to bowl to the masterbatsman who has an excellent record against Sri Lanka. However, it isan ambition for which he will have to wait till Sri Lanka play Indianext just ahead of the 2003 World Cup.Fernando did another favour to his team in the first Test, thoughinadvertently. He increased India’s misery by injuring JavagalSrinath, who has been ruled out of the series, and thus ensuring thathis own team doesn’t have to face the most experienced of the Indianbowlers any more in this series. Srinath was hit on his left hand by arising delivery while batting in the first innings.Fernando has tried very hard to avoid being expensive. He had aneconomy rate in excess of four runs an over against England and SouthAfrica.But his total haul of nine wickets from the two series boosted him.Fernando concentrated on his accuracy and got immediate resultsagainst India against whom he has conceded just 1.83 runs per over.In the triangular series too, which preceded the Test, he was thejoint top wicket-taker with three others and his 11 wickets came every27th delivery at an economy rate of 4.12 per over.Fernando is considered as the newest pace sensation after ChamindaVaas but he would not get into an argument on speed. He has enormousrespect for Vaas and has received a lot of advice from the seasonedcampaigner. It is apparent he regards Vaas as a role model and has ahealthy regard on how the left-arm paceman has remained a top bowlerdespite a small build and physique.Fernando is now working on becoming a good batsman too. “I really wantto improve my batting,” he said. Wonder what would be India’s fate ifhe could bat with the same fire with which he bowls.