Kolkata: It was a rare moment at the Eden Gardens on Sunday as the iconic venue for the first time witnessed the Indian pacers claiming all the Sri Lankan wickets in their first innings. It was the third time that all ten wickets in an innings were claimed by the Indian pacers at home. The last time it happened was in 1983 against West Indies at Ahmedabad. Kapil Dev took nine wickets in the innings.
India pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Md. Shami accounted for four wickets each while Umesh Yadav picked the remaining two Sri Lankan wickets.
On being asked about the green top and the pacers taking all ten wickets for India, Bhuvneshwar said it’s a good thing “for a change.”
“It’s a good thing for a change. We wanted to make the most of this wicket. We bowled badly on this wicket but we tried our best to make the most of the conditions.”
The pacer credited his bowling partner Shami for giving the early breakthroughs in the day.
“He bowled brilliantly today and gave us the breakthroughs,” said Bhuvi.
The bowler from Uttar Pradesh confessed they were trying too hard on the wicket which offered enough assistance to the fast bowlers.
“When we were watching how Sri Lanka were bowling, we were excited to bowl on that wicket. We tried too hard and could have stopped a few runs but the only thing we could have done is we could have been patient,” Bhuvneshwar told reporters after the days play.
Praising Rangana Herath’s fifty, Bhuvneshwar said they intended to get the tourists out early but the 39-year-old poured cold water on their plans.
“He batted really well. We could have got him out and sent the team packing for another 60-70 runs but that did not happen. He batted so well and it was good for the team,” said the swing bowler who returned figures of 4/88 in the first essay.
“The wicket got better if you compare to those two days (Day 1 and 2) and that is quite evident with the way the batsmen are batting. There were a few bad balls which we could have improved on but overall we are happy if not completely satisfied,” Bhuvneshwar said on the pitch which was green in the first two days but eased out for batters after the sun came out.
Shikhar Dhawan scored a fluent 94 on Day 4 before getting out to Dasun Shanaka. Bhuvneshwar heaped praises on the southpaw who was guilty of playing a poor shot in the first innings. He also grassed a Lahiru Thirimanne catch on Day 3.
Bhuvneshwar backed the southpaw, adding his innings put India in a good position.
“The way he got out was unlucky. In the first innings the wicket was tough and the way he batted in the second innings, he put us in a good position,” Bhuvneshwar signed off.