Paranavitana makes a mark with twin centuries
When Tharanga Paranavitana made his Test debut for Sri Lanka against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in February 2009, he would have hoped to be in the thick of action. He almost got his wish. On the field he scored only 30 runs in three innings on the tour. But off the field, he became one of the Sri Lankan players who were injured when terrorists opened fired at the Sri Lankan team bus.
It wasn't an auspicious start by any stretch of the imagination.
But he has come a long way with two consecutive centuries against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in the ongoing home series, to go with the other four fifties against Pakistan and India.
Paranavitana has now given wonderful starts in both the Tests against India, including the ongoing series and it does look as if http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 have got someone who can partner Tillakaratne Dilshan. He is not an explosive player by any means but is one of those who can grit and fight their way through the innings. He rotates the strike well and leaves the attacking to Dilshan, one of most aggressive of the batsmen of recent times.
This was evident in the second Test in which he focused only on getting Dilshan back on strike and was content on scoring the occasional boundary.
Of course, both hundreds came on flat tracks while batting first but they are hundreds nevertheless. He has always had the support of his fellow opener Dilshan, and that would have obviously helped him too.
Dilshan had commented that the first hundred always made the batsman more confident and after Paranavitana had scored his maiden ton, it was evident that he looked more relaxed and assured at the crease in the second game.
His style of play perfectly complements that of Dilshan and this can only bode well for Sri Lanka. They have not yet had an established opening pair after Sanath Jayasurya and Marvan Attapattu but this pair have all the right attributes to be as good as them. Paranavitana may not have all the classy shots that Attapattu possessed, but he is a patient and hard working player and this is ideal for an opener. His job is made easier by Dilshan who gets the runs early on.
Dilshan too seems to be enjoying the presence of Paranavitana. He has already mentioned that the left hander’s presence allows him to play his game and he also called him someone who has matured a lot.
But, it is one thing to score hundreds against a weak and depleted bowling attack on flat tracks, and entirely a different one to do that in bowler friendly conditions in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dale-c52110 Steyn and other fearsome bowlers. The Indian bowlers haven't exactly looked invincible recently.
He could suffer initially, because he has never played outside the subcontinent.
Plus, he has to work a lot on his game before he can even be called a good player. He is very circumspect and hesitant while playing the new ball and a good bowling attack will look to target that. He has already made good progress, thanks to some good advice from coach Trevor Bayliss, and looks like a player who could go on to become a coach's dream.
He also has some competition from his namesake, Upul Tharanga, who is trying to make his comeback and the 20-year old Lahiru Thirimanne looking to make his Test debut.
Competition can act as a motivation and so far, it has done exactly that for Paranavitana. Whether this start can be taken as the sign of something big to come for Sri Lankan cricket, is what needs to seen and hoped for.
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