Sri Lanka players must be given credit for their win over India in first Test at Galle

India lost the first Test from a winning position due to some poor batting.

New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes credit must be given to Sri Lanka players as well for their excellent performance instead of blaming Indian players for the loss. “Before looking and pointing fingers at the Indian team we should give credit to the Sri Lankans. They were not daunted by the lead that India had taken of 192 and they were very very positive despite the fact that also lost wickets at the end of the second days play, when they lost those two wickets. The way [Kumar] Sangakkara and [Angelo] Mathews played, steadied the ship, allowed [Dinesh] Chandimal and [Lahiru] Thirimanne, later on after these two senior players got out, to play freely, Gavaskar said. READ: BCCI must adopt DRS after umpiring blunders marr 1st Test against Sri Lanka at Galle

“Jehan Mubarak comes and plays a very good innings, so the Sri Lankans need to be given credit for not being overawed and daunted by the huge lead that the Indians had taken,” he added.

Rangana Herath took 8 for 42 to clean India out for just 102 as Sri Lanka pulled off a fantastic 63-run win from behind. Dinesh Chandimal turned the game on its head on Day Three with a fantastic unbeaten 162, and Herath bowled a treacherous spell on Day Four to complete one of the most memorable victories for Sri Lanka in recent times. READ: India vs Sri Lanka 2015, 1st Test at Galle: Team selection to blame for India’s loss

The situation was very different at lunch on the third day. After India reduced Sri Lanka to 95 for 5, Chandimal played the innings of his life to take the attack to India’s bowlers. Having given Sri Lanka a 176-run total to defend, Herath then came to the party. He accounted for the wickets of KL Rahul, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ajinkya Rahane

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