Just how did Sri Lanka win a series in South Africa? 

by Rex Clementine  

Given the huge strides that India have taken in cricket these recent years, you sensed that this was the best opportunity for Rohit Sharma’s side to win a first ever Test series in South Africa. Although India have an excellent record in Australia in recent years, a series win in South Africa has remained elusive.

Sri Lanka remain the only Asian nation to win a Test series in South Africa. In fact, only Australia and England have been able to win Test series in South Africa other than Sri Lanka.

India have all the boxes ticked. They have an impregnable batting line-up; their pace attack is one of the best in the world and in Ravichandran Ashwin they have a crafty off-spinner. But in the first two days in South Africa this Indian side has hardly competed having been knocked out for a below par total and then allowing South African top order to dominate.

If India lose at Centurion, even if they win in Cape Town, they will not be able to win the series as this is only a two-match series.

So how did Sri Lanka achieve the impossible in 2019? That too at a time when Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Francois du Plessis and Duanne Olivier were part of the South African side.

The backdrop for the series was not ideal at all. Sri Lanka had flown to Johannesburg straight from Canberra after a mauling at the hands of Australia with the short ball exposing batters’ deficiencies. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Janith Perera had spent a couple of nights in hospital after being struck by short pitched bowling.

Captain Dinesh Chandimal was axed on tour and was told to return back home instead of going to South Africa. Nothing was going Sri Lanka’s way.

It was a remarkable effort by Head Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe to bring the team together despite such turmoil. Interestingly, although we are a nation obsessed with foreign coaches, some of Sri Lanka’s best moments in the sport have come under local coaches like their first Test win in England in 1998 and their first series win in England in 2014. They were achieved when Roy Dias and Marvan Atapattu were in charge of the team.

A once in a lifetime knock by Kusal Janith Perera helped Sri Lanka to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in Durban. It’s a pity that KJP has failed to replicate that form since then and shoulder surgery has made him look a pale shadow of his former self.

The second Test win in Port Elizabeth of course was a collective effort with several players contributing. Kusal Mendis was Man of the Match playing a blinder.

Oshada Fernando was on his debut tour and played a pivotal role and at the completion of the game umpire Ian Gould took a stump out and presented it to the newcomer. Unusual but Oshada had impressed the former England wicketkeeper.

It was a dream series. While the batters put enough runs on the board, the seamers made the early breakthroughs and spinners chipped in making an impact and South Africa failed to compete.

The scheduling also helped the Sri Lankans it must be mentioned. Many were surprised that the series was played in Durban and Port Elizabeth, two of the slowest pitches in South Africa. The hosts ended up paying a huge price.