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Tom Moody: ‘Sanath’s a wonderful player. But he wasn’t selected, and I don’t think the outcome of the series had much to do with that’ © Getty Images
Marvan AtapattuOn the reasons for the debacleLooking back at it, I would put it down to not capitalising on the chances that we had been given. Even here, we had them in a spot of bother in the first innings. The other thing is that we can’t take anything away from their lower-order batsmen, and the manner in which they played Muttiah Muralitharan.On why the Indian lower order had done so wellIt’s a difficult question to answer. It’s not like you can’t bat well just because you’re a lower-order batsman. But they played very well. And I think [Irfan] Pathan handled Murali best.On the difference between his spinners and the Indians, and whether the SG ball played a partI think they got more bounce than our two spinners. Talking to Harbhajan Singh, he reckoned that too. They exploited the wickets better, and were also fortunate to win both tosses.On Lasith Malinga and his short-ball barrageThat’s the only thing he knows best. He’s not a McGrath type of bowler to pitch the ball on a spot. We’ve given him license to be himself, and not someone else.Tom MoodyOn the batting collapses, and whether they were related to poor techniqueNot at all. As Marvan has said, I think it was down to lack of concentration. It’s never easy to bat against two quality spinners, and we failed to adjust.On where the series was lostWe were in very strong positions in both Tests [Delhi and Ahmedabad], but failed to drive home the advantage. We only turned up for half the game, and that’s not good enough. We need to learn from that, and compete over five days, not just for two and a half.On whether they were a bowler shortNot at all. The bowling attack was well-balanced. And Murali tends to bowl a high percentage of the overs, particularly in conditions like those over here. Putting an extra bowler out to pasture at fine leg or third man wouldn’t have made a difference. We just didn’t have the killer instinct. India had the patience and the persistence and it was a good team effort from them.On what he would take from the seriesThe experience of playing two fine spin bowlers in their conditions. We could’ve bowled better, no doubt about that. But the fielding was a considerable improvement on what we saw in the one-day series. The middle order also needs to capitalise on starts and get the team total to 400 and beyond.On the absence of JayasuriyaSanath’s a wonderful player. But he wasn’t selected, and I don’t think the outcome of the series had much to do with that. On the other hand, we might have seen the birth of another opening batsman here. Upul Tharanga played a high-quality innings, and showed very good temperament and technique against two very good spinners, and a fine new-ball bowler in Pathan. He was one of the bright spots to come out of this match.On how he rated the Indian teamObviously, India are a different side away from home. They’re a real force in home conditions, with some real momentum coming from the media and the crowds. I think they will remain very difficult to play on home soil. They played some solid cricket, and looked like they were enjoying it. Only time will tell where they go from here.On the morale within his own squadIt’s very high. We faced difficult times during the one-day series, and have been beaten 2-0 now, but there have been several positives. We just haven’t competed over the full five days. But we had India on the ropes in all the three Tests, and it’s not like we’ve been thrashed. We were caught napping on two or three days and that allowed India to come back.On who would have the edge when India played PakistanIndia have done very well of late, but Pakistan have done just as well, if not better. They’re an emerging side with a lot of talent, and if they’re all fit, I think they’ll start slight favourites.
