Important to keep focus: Kumble

Anil Kumble accepts the fact that his team played poorly but says that it’s imperative for India to keep their focus and intensity going ahead.

India suffered its worst-ever defeat in 34 years when it was humbled by Sri Lanka on Saturday. The islanders won by an innings and 239 runs, making it India’s third-biggest defeat ever in a Test match.

India Test captain Anil Kumble was understandably a dejected man. “If you look at the way Sri Lanka went about the game, they had a pretty much perfect Test match”, wrote Kumble in his column for the Hindustan Times. “The two spinners operating in tandem bowled really well, complimenting each other.”

Spinners Muttiah Muralidaran and Ajantha Mendis were responsible for 19 of the 20 Indian wickets to fall. They bowled successively to the Indians who looked clueless to their guile as Muralidaran took 11 wickets and Mendis, on debut, took 8 in both innings.

But Kumble insists that his team was not concentrating on Mendis alone. “There has been some suggestion that we were concentrating only on Mendis but I can tell you that’s not true. Even before the start of the Test I did mention that Murali and Chaminda Vaas are the important bowlers and that has not changed.”

He went on to add, “Mendis is an exciting development for spin in world cricket but Murali is already a champion bowler.”

Kumble cites lack of attitude and character as the prime reason for India faring so poorly in the first Test at Colombo. He said that centuries and five-fors are what’s needed in order to win a Test match.

That said and done, the Indian Test skipper vows a comeback. “It’s important to keep the focus and intensity. We’ve had a poor game but we now need to look ahead.”

“We will come out strong, it’s not as though all has been lost,” said the optimistic Indian captain.

The second Test match between India and Sri Lanka takes place on July 31 at Galle.