Sanga, the man for all seasons
Watching a Test match these days is inevitably a painful exercise. Call it the advent of Twenty20 cricket or the overdose of ODIs, Tests have taken a backseat, but there are some charms that continue to keep me hooked.
On a Saturday morning, I woke myself up to catch a glimpse of one of my favourites — Kumar Sangakkara — grind the Pakistanis in Abu Dhabi desert. It surely wasn’t rivetting contest, but when Sanga is on the job, he more often than not makes it a no-contest.
With his team trailing by over 300 runs against Pakistan in their first Test, the former Sri Lankan skipper dug in deep and brought in his decade-long international experience in carving out yet another master-class. Much like gentle-giants Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Sanga too has revelled in the firemen’s role. Sanga belongs to the rare breed of players who do not know what awaits them, a fresh cherry in a game or a bowling attack that has been worn out by players who went in to bat earlier.
Sanga, with over 8847 runs from 101 Tests, knows himself and his game too well. As he makes his way to the middle, he appears as an extremely bright student who has come to give his exams. He appears organised and never once appears ugly both with his shot selection and in his demeanour. He is pretty balanced as he braces up to face delivery after delivery. His relies on water-tight technique and an impeccable consistency to grind the opposition. More importantly, Sanga demarcates his own limitations and plays to his strengths.
His counterparts T. Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene may be the poster-boys in the Island Nation, but Sanga brings in a businessman-like approach which is a joy to watch. He does not harp too much on statistics and looks to enroll himself into the fundamentals of the game, which is to score runs.
But, that is not to say that Sanga does not crave for finesse. He backs his abilities to wriggle out his side from difficult situations. The southpaw has displayed an uncanny knack to shut out all thoughts, keep the analysis aside and focus only on the merit of the next ball. Ball after ball, ball after ball, the Pakistanis came steaming in, only to meet the meat of Sanga’s blade. No, Sanga did not go after the bowling nor did he try to accelerate.
He just ensured that the ball met his willow’s sweet spot. That’s it. He performed the role of fireman to the T. He arrived at the spot of fire just in time, douzed the fire, rescued the affected parts, and ensured that his team was taken to safe shores. And to do this laborious job in the most polished manner is what separates Sanga from the mere mortals.
The most serene moment in the first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan arrived when Sanga got to his eighth double century in Tests. As he reached the landmark, he didn’t jump up and down. The left-hander calmly walked to the non-striker, shook hands and normal service resumed.
