In a dramatic turnaround during the first Test of the three-match series, Sri Lanka defeated India. Former legendary Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene believes that if India had used Decision Review System (DRS) they would have easily won the match.
There were a number of decisions that did not go in India's favour during the first Test match at the Galle International Stadium. The most important one would be Dinesh Chandimal's decision. The camera clearly showed that Chandimal was out as he had edged the ball to the close fielder but the on field umpire denied the appeal made by Ravichandran Ashwin and other fielders around the stumps.
"I sympathise with some of BCCI's concerns about the accuracy of DRS, especially ball-tracking. But on balance, the use of the system has clearly reduced umpiring errors and improved the game. To his (Chandimal's) great credit, he had the guts to play with freedom and aggression that was necessary if Sri Lanka were going to be able to post a small target. Many in India will be upset with the decision-making, but those kinds of errors will occasionally happen if you don't want to use DRS," Jayawardene said in an interview to The Times of India.
Jayawardene felt that India were firmly in control ever since the first session of the first Test match. Sri Lankans bowled poorly and their batsmen also succumbed to the pressure that Indian bowlers had created in the first innings. Post that, Indian captain Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan scored a century each to put them firmly in control and put pressure on the hosts.
Indian bowlers started off brilliantly in the second innings until they fell prey to Chandimal's counter-attacking brilliance, which took the game away from the visitors. Later, Rangana Herath and Tharindu Kaushal took advantage of the situation and demolished the Indian batting lineup, helping Sri Lanka to snatch an incredible Test match win at home.
"Like most people, I thought Sri Lanka were heading for an inevitable defeat going into day four of the first Test. If you fail in your first innings in Galle, it's incredibly tough to get back into the match. We batted poorly and then bowled loosely at the outset. After Kohli and Dhawan had piled up hundreds, India had established a completely dominant grip on the game," Jayawardene added.
