The inability of India’s bowlers to take the last four Sri Lankan wickets in the fifth and final day of the Colombo Test match has made India’s task of qualifying for the final of the WTC that much harder. Of course, they can still do that by winning the remaining seven Test matches they play till the cycle finishes. But if they couldn’t dismiss the lower order batting on a pitch where there was some turn, it does make Indian cricket fans a bit nervous.

There was a sameness to the bowling from what little that I saw. The left-handers were accurate and quick through the air and the debutant off-spinner looked an honest trier with little variety to trouble batters at this level. Sure, he could have been nervous considering that he was making his debut, yet there was no deception through the air and an over-reliance on the pitch for assistance. On a pitch that got slower as the match progressed, the fast bowlers struggled to get the ball up towards the batters’ shoulders. Here perhaps the extra pace and height of Gurnoor Brar may well have come in handy. But of course, it’s being wise after the event.