Sri Lanka spinners can hurt vulnerable Indian batters: Farveez Maharoof

Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Farveez Maharoof feels that despite India’s batting vulnerabilities in facing spinners, the Shubman Gill-led side enters the upcoming two-game Test series far better prepared than the hosts. cricket-ipl.co.za

The two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka kicks off in Galle on Saturday, with 24 crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points on the line for both teams to boost their chances of entering the final in June 2027. India arrive on the back of beating Sri Lanka Cricket XI in a three-day warm-up game at the NCC Ground, where all squad members got decent bowling and batting time.

“The vulnerability of the Indian batting order and the negativity going around with it, with losing to South Africa at home especially, this is where Sri Lanka can really bounce on if they bring the A game. My concern is that some of the players have not played after the West Indies series because of the LPL straight away and then this Test series.

“So, maybe some of the bowlers will be slightly undercooked when it comes to the workload. I mean, they had at least a couple of weeks to get their workload high and train for a while. But it's nothing like a practice game in my opinion. As far as I know, Sri Lanka has not played a practice game because of simply no time, whereas India just played a three-day game,” Maharoof told IANS in an online interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Tuesday.

He also praised the Indian team management for their tactical foresight in reducing the warm-up game timing from four to three days. “Also, they were smart in not wanting to play the warm-up game on the fourth day. They wanted to play a three-day game, and on the fourth day, on the same pitch, they went and trained out there simply because they wanted their batters to play against the spinners bowling to the rough, which is going to be the challenge come the third or fourth day.

“If the Test match goes to the fifth day, up in Galle, as well as the SSC, I think preparation-wise, Indians are much more equipped than the Sri Lankans, if you ask me. This is where the edge can be won. Also, on paper, the numbers speak for themselves. I think India, with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as Mohammad Siraj, is quite formidable as the leader of the bowling pack,” stated Maharoof.

Comparing the bowling line-ups, Maharoof noted that Sri Lanka’s attack faces multiple uncertainties, especially around their secondary spin options after left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and pacer Asitha Fernando.

“Sri Lanka will rely heavily on Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya because those two have been consistently playing Test cricket and have been performing well. My other concern is second spinner Ramesh Mendis. He has not played Test cricket and red-ball cricket for a while.

“Only last week, in the just-concluded three-day warm-up game, he played a red-ball game. So many ifs and buts and only answers will be given come the 15th - hopefully the Test match goes for five days till the 19th.”

During India’s practice game, Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten was seen observing the game closely at the ground. With Kirsten, who coached India to the 2011 ODI World Cup win, taking over as Sri Lanka’s head coach after Sanath Jayasuriya left, Maharoof thinks his presence can be a potential game-changer in the hosts' dressing room.

“Gary Kirsten was there for all three days. I was in commentary as well and went and spoke to him on a few things. So, he was there all three days, and he is like a hands-on coach. Gary was a coach in India as well. I don't have anything to say about his records. He has been loved wherever he has coached. He has a major good respect towards him.

“The feedback I am getting from the dressing room is that he has been loved and respected by all players. So, he will be a massive influence on this side with his experience. At the end of the day, the coaches can do certain things. Rest of it is all about the players going out there and doing their bit because nowadays, a head coach's role is like man-management,” he observed.

Drawing a parallel with former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, Maharoof emphasised that Kirsten's primary role will be fostering the right mindset among Sri Lanka's youngsters, especially with Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka unavailable due to injuries.

“Like what Ravi Shastri did when the Indian team was so successful in all formats, so a similar role I think Gary will be wanting to play because when it comes to talent, there is a lot of talent available in Sri Lanka. But just that, to get the right players involved, and the right mentality playing against a quality side like India, that's how you create the environment for the players to go out there and perform,” he said.

On the high stakes of the series from the WTC cycle perspective, Maharoof noted that managing humidity will be a crucial hurdle for the visiting Indian contingent if they are to win both games in Galle and Colombo. “So, WTC points, I think both sides are very important. 24 points up for grabs; both sides are quite used to the conditions in the subcontinent. But the only thing that India may be just lacking a little bit can be the humidity factor.

“I understand it's quite hot in India at the moment, and in Bengaluru as well. But Sri Lanka, especially Galle, can be very humid and testing. That's why I think it was a master call by the Indian think tank to play a three-day game, get adjusted and used to the humid levels because the heat level is almost similar.

“But the humidity levels in Sri Lanka are much higher, and they got three days of training in Galle. So, I'm pretty sure by the time the first Test match starts, they'll be well up for it. It's all about at the end of the day - we can speak a lot, but by the end of the day, it's just one ball against one batter. You got to keep it really simple and trust the process,” he concluded.

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Starting August 13 at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh will play their much-awaited Test match in Australia.

Australia will be hosting Bangladesh after over two decades. The Australia vs Bangladesh Test series 2026 commences on Thursday, and it will comprise two matches, hosted in Darwin and Mackay.

This kicks off a run of 20 Test matches (21 if Australia reach the ICC WTC final) across the next 12 months, which includes an away series in India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and an away Ashes in England.

The fitness of the pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood will be managed carefully in this period as all three of them also aim to feature in the 2027 World Cup, which will follow the Ashes.

AUS vs BAN: When was the last time Bangladesh played a Test match in Australia?

The only time Bangladesh have played Test cricket in Australia was way back in 2003, when Australia hosted the Asian side for a two-match Test series. Steve Waugh’s team swept Bangladesh 2-0, registering victories by an innings in both Test matches that were played in Darwin and Cairns.

These two nations have rarely clashed in the longest format, and even less so on Australian soil. Australia have hosted Bangladesh for two Tests in the 2003 series and later played four matches in Bangladesh across two tours in 2006 and 2017.

AUS vs BAN: Head-To-Head Record Of Australia vs Bangladesh In Test cricket

Australia and Bangladesh have faced off in 6 Test matches so far. Of these, Australia won 5 matches and Bangladesh defeated Australia in one Test.

Australia beat Bangladesh 2-0 at home in 2003 and 2-0 in Bangladesh in 2006. However, in the 2017 series, Bangladesh registered a famous win by 20 runs in Mirpur. Australia bounced back in Chattogram with a 7-wicket victory to draw the series.

Bangladesh vs Australia H2H in Test cricket:

• Matches: 6
• Australia won: 5
• Bangladesh won: 1
• Draw: 0

Australia vs Bangladesh: Have Bangladesh beaten Australia in a Test match?

Yes, Bangladesh have managed to defeat Australia once in Test cricket – in Mirpur in 2017 by 20 runs. It was a low-scoring Test match in which the highest innings score across the four innings was 260. Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan, was at the forefront of that historic victory: the left-armer scored 89 runs in the match and picked up five-wicket hauls in Australia’s both innings, claiming figures of 5/68 & 5/85.

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Vaibhav Tripathi, Galle

The Indian team had just arrived in Galle on Tuesday afternoon, and what followed was a heavy spell of rain. The weather forecast for the three-day match suggested that there would be plenty of rain at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. However, that didn’t happen. Fortunately for Team India, the rain gods favoured them and didn’t spoil their preparations. Now that they are in Galle, and the forecast for the city for the upcoming days, including the match days, isn’t promising. Rain is predicted on all days. The visitors as well as the hosts would be hoping that the weather forecast goes wrong, as for both teams, the two-match Test series is very important. In order to qualify for the WTC final. Neither team can afford a drawn Test match.

Keeping aside the weather, the Indian team, after arriving in Galle, was seen relaxing. A much-needed rest. After what was six days of intense grind at the NCC, the players could finally relax, with Tuesday being the travel day.

The second day in Galle for the Indian team will see no training, as they have opted for complete rest on Wednesday. This leaves India with two days of practice before they play the match on Saturday, August 15. On both days, the team is likely to train if the weather doesn’t play spoilsport. While the sessions at the NCC gave a clear idea as to what could be India’s playing XI, the picture will get clearer closer to the match.

Getting a hang of the conditions in Galle for Team India will be important, as most of the players in the current squad haven’t played Test cricket at this venue. Only Ravindra Jadeja has done so. Devdutt Padikkal, Gurnoor Brar, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi are the ones who have played at the venue most recently, when they came with the India A squad for the two unofficial Tests.

The last time India played here, they registered an emphatic 304-run win. India posted 600 in the first innings, and Sri Lanka couldn’t get past the 300-run mark in either innings.

While it’s largely assumed that the pitch for the series opener is going to spin, the wickets in Galle have played better for batters in the last couple of years. In the last Test played at the venue, close to 500 runs were scored by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in their respective first innings. Before that, when Australia came last year, their batters also enjoyed the conditions.

How the Galle wicket will play this time around is anybody’s guess.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka haven’t officially announced their squad, but the hosts have been practising at Galle since August 8, as earlier reported by RevSportz.

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The post India take breather in Galle before final two days of preparation appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Tuesday, 11th August, marked the 10th death anniversary of Pakistan’s ‘Little Master’ Hanif Mohammad, who scored 3915 runs in 55 Tests at an impressive average of 43.98.

Earning the nickname for his short stature — standing at just 5 feet 3 inches — Hanif possessed immense batting skill, brilliant focus and technical prowess at the crease. He also played the longest Test innings across 970 minutes, scoring 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58, inspiring generations with his unmatched and emerging as a symbol of Pakistan’s cricketing pride in its formative years. His son, former Test cricketer Shoaib Mohammad, however, remains disappointed that his father, who passed away at the age of 81, has not yet received due credit for his effort.

Hanif Mohammad’s resting place in Karachi

“Perhaps he [Hanif] is the only Pakistani cricketer for whom even Great Britain’s flag was half-mast, which is mostly done for royalty and only after the Queen’s consent. Such was his recognition, rare and historic, transcending boundaries,” Shoaib tells mid-day, going on to reflect his disappointment: “It’s a pity though that no ground has been allocated in Pakistan under my father’s name yet. Imagine the prestige and honour he brought for Pakistan with
his world records.”

A year after his marathon 337, Hanif went on to score what was the highest first-class innings then, 499, before he was run out.