Sri Lanka ne apni Test team ka elaan kar diya hai aur kya baat hai, is baar squad mein chhe naye chehre hain, jismein ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake bhi shamil hain. Haan, ambidextrous! Yani dono haathon se spin daal sakta hai – yeh toh wahi baat hai jo cricket ke deewano ke liye ek sapne jaisa hai. Par thodi si chubhan bhi hai – kya yeh naye ladke Bangladesh ke khilaaf Galle ke maidan mein asli rang dikha payenge? Sri Lanka ka Test cricket toh kabhi kabhi ek purani cassette ki tarah lagta hai – kabhi chalti hai, kabhi atak jati hai. Lekin is baar, Dhananjaya de Silva ke neeche yeh team kuch alag karne ka mood bana rahi hai.
Tharindu Rathnayake ka naam sunte hi kaan khade ho jate hain. Yeh ladka, jo Sri Lanka A ke liye UAE Tri-Series mein 4 wickets lekar chhaya tha, ab bade stage par apna jadoo dikhane ko taiyaar hai. Dono haathon se spin – yeh toh cricket ke duniya mein ekdum naya masala hai. Socho, ek bowler jo batsman ko dono taraf se confuse kar de! Yeh koi Hollywood film ka twist nahi, balki ek asli talent hai jo Bangladesh ke batsmen ke liye sar dard ban sakta hai. Aur sirf Tharindu hi nahi, Pasindu Sooriyabandara aur Pavan Rathnayake jaise naye batsmen bhi hain, jinhone Sri Lanka A ke liye centuries thoki hain. Yeh log Dimuth Karunaratne aur Sadeera Samarawickrama jaise purane khiladiyon ki jagah le rahe hain, jo ab team mein nahi hain.
Ab thodi si tareef toh banta hai. Sri Lanka ke selectors ne yeh dikhaya hai ki unhe apne naye talent par bharosa hai. Yeh chhe uncapped players – Lahiru Udara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Pavan Rathnayake, Tharindu Rathnayake, aur Isitha Wijesundara – ek naya josh la rahe hain. Inme se kai logon ne Sri Lanka A ke liye shandaar performance di hai. Jaise ki Wisden ne bataya, inme se kai khiladi ek ‘A’ match mein chha gaye the, jisme Udara aur Dinusha ne centuries banayi aur Wijesundara ne 10 wickets liye. Yeh naye ladke Galle ke maidan mein, jo Sri Lanka ka fortress maana jata hai, apna naam bana sakte hain. Aur sath mein Akila Dananjaya ki wapsi bhi hai, jo 2019 ke baad pehli baar Test team mein laut rahe hain. Kasun Rajitha bhi apne pace ke saath team ko balance denge.
Yeh sab dekh kar yaad aata hai jab India ke spinners ne 2025 Champions Trophy final mein New Zealand ko 251 par rok diya tha. Kuldeep Yadav aur Varun Chakaravarthy ne waha spin ka jadoo dikhaya tha, aur ab Sri Lanka ke fans soch rahe honge ki kya Tharindu bhi aisa hi kuch kamaal karega? Bangladesh ke batsmen, jaise Litton Das aur Najmul Hossain Shanto, ko ab in spinners se sawdhaan rehna hoga. Par yeh bhi sach hai ki Bangladesh ki team bhi kam nahi hai. Unhone apni spin attack mein Mehidy Hasan Miraz aur Taijul Islam jaise khiladi rakhe hain, jo Sri Lanka ke batsmen ke liye mushkil khadi kar sakte hain.
Ab thodi si baat dil se dil tak. Sri Lanka ka cricket, kabhi Angelo Mathews jaisa shandaar hota hai, jo ab apna aakhiri Test khelne ja rahe hain. Unka yeh farewell match ek emotional pal hoga, par sath hi sath naye khiladiyon ke liye ek mauka hai apne aap ko sabit karne ka. Yeh naye ladke, jaise Tharindu aur Pasindu, shayad wohi josh la sakte hain jo kabhi Muttiah Muralitharan ya Lasith Malinga ne laya tha. Muralitharan ka woh 800 wickets ka record ya Malinga ka T20 mein hat-trick ka jadoo – Sri Lanka ke cricket ka woh swarna yug ab shayad in naye chehron ke saath wapas aaye.
Par thodi si khundak bhi hai. Yeh naye khiladi kitne bhi talented kyun na ho, Test cricket ek alag hi beast hai. Kya yeh log pressure jhel payenge jab Bangladesh ke spinners unpar attack karenge? Galle ke maidan mein spin toh chalta hai, par waha experience bhi chahiye. Aur yeh bhi sochne wali baat hai – kya Sri Lanka ke selectors ne thoda zyada risk le liya hai itne saare naye khiladiyon ko ek saath mauka dekar? Tharindu ka ambidextrous spin shayad ek game-changer ho, par agar woh falter kiya toh kya hoga? Bangladesh bhi ab woh team nahi jo pehle thi – unhone 2019 mein Sri Lanka ke khilaaf Test series draw ki thi, aur ab woh World Test Championship ke naye cycle mein bhi dum dikhane ko taiyaar hain.
Toh bas, yeh match ek mazedaar jung hone wala hai. Sri Lanka ke naye chehre, Tharindu Rathnayake ke jadoo ke saath, shayad kuch aisa kamaal dikhayein jo hum sab yaad rakhein. Par agar yeh log gir gaye, toh fans ke dil tootne ka darr bhi hai. Chalo, dekhte hain kya hota hai jab yeh dono teams Galle mein takrati hain.
