Washington: ‘We need to find a way to get the job done in crunch situations’

An India-Sri Lanka bilateral series in which India are the team scrambling to prove themselves? Wow. It has been a while. In fact, India have not lost a bilateral series between these teams since 1997.

The outcomes of the last two matches are especially surprising given the pummelings India had handed out in these teams’ last two meetings – dismissing Sri Lanka for 50 in the Asia Cup final, and 55 in the ODI World Cup at the Wankhede.

Ahead of the final match, it is an India player, Washington Sundar, defending the proficiency of his team’s batters. It has been a meek showing from their middle order so far. Their batting performances have been buoyed primarily by Rohit Sharma’s aggression in the powerplay, with Axar Patel also producing important runs from Nos. 5 and 7.

“We’re quality players of spin,” Washington said on the eve of the third match. The first two games have been played on exceedingly spin-friendly pitches, and more of the same is expected for Wednesday.

“We’ve always played on these kinds of pitches, even at home, even in Test matches. In domestic cricket we play a lot of games on such wickets. A lot of our players have done really well, especially in the middle order, especially batting against spin.

“It’s just a matter of finding a way in their own individual self, and trying to get the job done. Everyone knows it’s a challenging wicket. The Indian team has always been one where everyone puts their hands up, especially when the challenge arises.”

Where Sri Lanka were so poor in last year’s World Cup they failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy next year, for India, this is essentially preparation for that tournament. There is a chance given India’s objections to playing in Pakistan, that many of their matches could be moved to Sri Lanka – Khettarama the likeliest venue if that happens.

That would mean more turning tracks in their future, next February and March. The other possible venue for India matches is the UAE, where, again, spin may play a significant role.

Part of India’s problems in this series has been their inability to prevent Sri Lanka’s lower-middle order batters – Dunith Wellalage in particular – from putting together vital partnerships in the last 10 overs.

“We’d love to get them out for 200 or less than that,” Washington said. “We had them in that situation in both matches. With big tournaments coming up, we’ll be in similar situations, and it’s an a opportunity for us to find a way to get the job done in crunch situations. We just need to put our hands up and win those critical situations in the game.”

On the batting front, India’s challenge has been to counter an unusual Sri Lanka attack. The hosts even have a finger spinner (Kamindu Mendis) who can bowl with either arm – as well as the likes of mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya, who bowls a mix of offbreaks, googlies, and legbreaks. India have tried to counter this by attempting to maintain a left-right combination at the crease through this series, sending left-hander Washington in to bat as high as No. 4 alongside Virat Kohli, in the last game. So far, the strategy hasn’t fully worked.

Washington said coach Gautam Gambhir has been vocal as the team has sought to hone their strategy against spin.

“There’s been a lot of inputs from [Gambhir]. He’s a high-quality player of spin. We’ve always seen him putting up great performances on such wickets, especially against quality spin-bowling. That’s one of the reasons we came out here today to practice, to try and find a way do those little things tactically. We are really prepared to be on top of the game in all aspects tomorrow.”

Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf