Kings of Galle: Jayasuriya-Mendis twister awaits Indian batters
At times, cricketers make a particular stadium their favourite opera centre - churning out awe-inspiring performances one after another.
Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan wrecked oppositions at Sinhalese Sports Club; Jacques Kallis’ numbers at Newlands are beyond belief, while Stuart Broad at Lord’s was an unstoppable force.
Now, two Sri Lankan spinners - Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis - have made Galle International Cricket Stadium here their personal abattoir, running roughshod over rival batters.
Together, they have amassed 145 wickets at this venue - left-arm spinner Jayasuriya has plucked 81 wickets in a mere 11 Tests while off-spinner Mendis has taken 64 wickets in 12 matches here.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Farvez Mahararoof explained this unusual success rate.
“Prabath Jaysuriya is going to be the main weapon. We have nicknamed him the ‘King of Galle’ because of the number of wickets he has taken there.
“He knows how to bowl with the wind, and the wind is going to be a major factor in Galle because of the drift the spinners can generate,” said Maharoof.
It might not be particularly encouraging news for Indian batters, who have of late struggled against quality spinners.
New Zealand left-arm spinners Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner had destroyed India in their own backyard, and later off-spinner Simon Harmer of South Africa repeated the feat.
Now, the Indian batters will have to face a quality left-arm and off-spin combination in the same match.
Former Sri Lankan spinner Upul Chandana offered a word of caution.
“Jayasuriya has quickly become Sri Lanka’s top spinner. He largely bowls in the conventional way; you know, he hardly gives any freedom to the batsmen. If the pitch has a different bounce on it, then his accuracy will be very helpful,” says Chandana.
The former spinner offered the example of Jayasuriya, a discovery of former Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, getting rid of Pakistan batsman Babar Azam quite regularly.