Image via WikipediaThe last 2 series each home and away has resulted in same victory margins for the home team (2-1 for Sri Lanka and 2-0 for India). Will it be any different this time?
The first series was in Chennai where the Indians escaped defeat in the very first test that Sri Lanka played. Duleep Mendis scored centuries in both innings and the Indians were probably complacent in their attitude against the debutants. No winner in the first series between the two teams then.
India toured Lanka next under the captaincy of Kapil Dev - the matches were more famous for the biased umpiring decisions made by the Lankan umpires (neutral umpires were not in vogue then). The current Chairman of Selectors, Srikkanth, bore the brunt of most of the decisions. The Lankans won their first series 1-0 leading the Indian captain to announce that the Lankans will find it difficult to win outside their home soil for some time.
Sri Lanka travelled to India twice in 86/87 and 90/91 for 4 matches, losing 3 of them to the guile of the Indian spinners. The terror situation in the Island also prevented many matches to be conducted there. Again in 93/94, the Indians made a clean sweep of the test series, winning all the 3 test matches.
In between, Azharuddin's team to the Isle won a series for the first time in the history. This was majorly due to centuries by Vinod Kambli, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar as well as the bowling performances of Kumble, Prabhakar and Srinath.
Sourav Ganguly masterminded a successful chase in 2001 but lost the other 2 test matches thanks to the guile of Murali, the magician. Similarly, Mendis and Murali bagged handful of wickets on the last trip in 2008 despite Sehwag and Gambhir's pyrotechnics. The series also saw the introduction of the UDRS system (which is missing this series).
The Indians clearly have a hold on the Lankans but at home, the Islanders gain strength in a very invisible manner - mediocre batsmen tend to become Bradmen and run-of-the-mill bowlers gain fangs!! The Indians have their tasks cut out to regain their No.1 position.
