If the Indian think tank needed any proof that their best chance of making it to the final of the World Test Championship was to play on good pitches at home, it was provided in Galle. On a surface that was good for batting — even if the odd ball gripped and there was a hint of uneven bounce that could play a part later — the top order delivered the most assured batting performance they have had in some time.
The clamour to mop up as many points as possible in home series has meant that India have played on dry, underprepared surfaces too often, exposing their batsmen. None of the top order, who are anyway short of experience in playing on rank turners because they hardly get such surfaces in domestic cricket, has been able to build any rhythm or confidence.
