Time running out for under-fire Harbhajan after Galle failure

Image
Press Trust of India Galle
Last Updated : Aug 16 2015 | 6:57 PM IST
As the beleaguered Indian cricket team start picking up pieces after a 'Shocking Saturday', the spotlight is firmly fixed on team's senior-most pro Harbhajan Singh whose unimpressive show in the 63-run defeat has raised question marks about his future.
In a match, where all 40 wickets fell, five specialist spinners from either side accounted for 31 of them. But the piece of statistic that would certainly disturb Harbhajan is the fact that his share his 1 out of 31 giving away 90 runs in 25 overs.
While India's strike bowler Ravi Ashwin had a 10-for, Amit Mishra also did his case no harm by picking up five wickets in two innings.
For Sri Lanka, Tharindu Kaushal got eight scalps while 37-year-old Rangana Herath -- the oldest among 22 players made amends for a disappointing first innings with a match-winning seven-wicket haul.
Just when one finds how Herath turned the clock back and defied all odds to win a Test match for his side, Harbhajan's time on the field seemed like a struggle as he went through the motions with Dinesh Chandimal knocking the stuffing out of the Indian attack.
Skipper Virat Kohli however admitted that the 'Turbanator' bowled only one good spell but then in his defence said that all bowlers during that phase were punished by Chandimal.
"I think in the second innings, a spell he bowled was nice one. He was getting good rhythm but after that Chandimal started attacking every bowler. I think that threw him off, along with others, in that particular session," Kohli defended the 35-year-old senior off-spinner.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 16 2015 | 6:57 PM IST

Next Story