Sangakkara Comes to the Party in Test Match Cricket
Kumar Sangakkara has scored a double century in the ongoing second Test match against India. This is his second century in a row in this series, and make him one of the most consistent batsman as a captain in recent times in this format.
Captaincy & Batting Decoupled
When Kumar Sangakkara became the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team, not unsurprisingly, a lot was expected of him. Here was a man who was not only amongst the team’s leading batsmen but who also added value to the team by doubling up as a wicket-keeping option. A man who has openly claimed to being amongst his country’s few sledgers in the game, Sangakkara could have ill-afforded to let captaincy affect his batting.
Thankfully for all the cricket fans around the world, post the handing over the captaincy to Sangakkara, he has actually taken his batting to even newer heights. He averages almost 55 in Test cricket.
Nine Tests, Five Tons!
The past 12 months in particular have been exceptional on the batting front for Sangakkara. Sri Lanka has had few opportunities in the recent past to play the oldest format of the game but Sangakkara has ensured to do well in whatever Tests he has played.
Since July 2009, he has featured in nine Test matches and has scored five centuries in them. Two of them have come in a winning cause and by all indications, the latest one coming in the ongoing Test against the Indians at Colombo could prove to be the third one in a winning cause.
On http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s Tour in 2009
On http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429’s hurricane knock of 293 that came off a mere 254 deliveries, but Sangakkara’s lone hand in his side’s second innings was a valiant effort as well.
He scored a patient 137 that helped ensure Sri Lanka get to 300, which was, however, not enough to avoid an innings defeat. Nonetheless, Sangakkara’s seemed to carry from where he left in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 and on home turf looks good to register wins for his team now.
1st Test At Galle
In the 1st Test at Galle, the captain played a pivotal role in setting up the win for the hosts with his knock of 103. Tharanga Paranavitana, who is still relatively new to Test cricket was not able to find scoring very easy and it was left to Sangakkara to get runs quickly and give his bowlers ample time to dismiss India twice. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 71.03 and despite losing an entire day’s play due to rain, the Lankans won the game easily thereby also giving http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Muttiah-Muralitharan-c78157 the perfect farewell gift.
2nd Test At The SSC, Colombo
The relentless left-hander scored his third century in as many Tests, and is still not done in his ongoing knock. Sangakkara won an important toss yet again and made full use of helpful batting conditions by scoring another fluent century; once again Paranavitana also scoring a ton, only his second in this format of the game.
For Sangakkara though, it was his 23rd in Tests and though it came on a lifeless pitch against an attack which was pedestrian at best, the knock was still a very significant one. Like most Sangakkara innings, his double century was beautiful to watch with no shortage of his trademark pulls and cuts on the off side.
He had a minor scare in the nineties when he edged one past gully off Abhimanyu Mithun but the captain was largely untroubled by even Harbhajan Singh, the senior most amongst regular bowlers.
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