New Delhi, January 02: Star Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan played down the series loss in India to poor umpiring decision and the absence of referral system.
Sri Lanka lost the 3-match Test series 2-0 and the ODI series 3-1
Muralitharan, who wasn’t part of the One-day side in Sri Lanka’s loss, claimed that the Test series was a close one and the scoreline could have easily been the other way around had some of the umpiring decisions gone the visitors’ way.
He pointed that Virender Sehwag, who was a huge success in India’s victories, was lucky to have escaped on numerous occasions as the umpires gave decsions in his favour.
”The other thing that affected us was that the referral system was not used in the series. The Sehwag factor was there. We missed chances off him so many times. There were unfortunate decisions that went against us when actually he was out,” said the record-holder for most international wickets.
However, he also noted that the flat track in India made the job even more difficult for Sri Lanka.
”We had a good chance to win the first Test, but the wicket was so flat that scoring was made easy. We couldn’t take 10 wickets in the last one-and-a-half days of play and that affected us.
”The 2-0 result does not show how good an effort we put in, but we were not good enough. Unfortunately I was not in good form, neither was (Rangana) Herath. He was not in the form he showed at home. None of the other bowlers got many wickets in theseries.
”Harbhajan (Singh) had about 13 wickets from three Tests. For the leading wicket-taker of the series to take 13 wickets means the wickets favoured the batsmen more than the bowlers,” Muralitharan told Cricinfo.
Sri Lanka has never in the past won a Test in India and it remained an elusive dream for the islanders during their recent tour as well.
But the legendary off-spinner said it has always been a tough job for any team to win against India in their own den and same is the case when teams come over toSri Lanka.
”It has never been an easy ride for any team in India. In the 1997 Test series in India, we drew all three. At the time we were at our peak but India managed to hold us”.
It has always been tough to play in India because the conditions are different and their players know how to play in their own conditions. Therefore for any team to go and succeedin India is very hard. At home, we are a powerful side, like India,” he noted.
The fielding standards for Sri Lanka have also dipped considerably which was evident in their recent tour of India and Muralitharan reasons it to the presence of some old legs in the team.
He also claimed that Sri Lanka’s fielding standards will continue in the same fashion and the side will have to settle for a none-too-brilliant fielding display in the 2011 World Cup.
”In the 2007 World Cup team we had good fielders like Upul Tharanga, Sanath, Mahela, Sanga as wicketkeeper, Chamara Silva and Russel Arnold.
”In the bowling department me, Vaasy and (Lasith) Malinga were safe fielders. We had a good fielding unit. Now if you take the team, it is the other way around.
”Thilan and (Thilina) Kandamby are safe fielders but not brilliant. But they are very good batsmen and you can’t keep them out because of the fielding.
”Likewise, a few bowlers are not natural athletes. That’s what’s happened to our fielding. They train, but speed is something you cannot create.
”We are not going to be a brilliant fielding side by 2011. If someone is saying we will be, they are not being honest to themselves. Today you cannot find a brilliant fielder who is a brilliant batsman or bowler. It will take generations to find one,” he stressed.
–Agencies