Cricket indeed!

So we had 2 fascinating matches going on today - India v Sri Lanka in Galle and England v South Africa in Edgbaston. First the India match - India all out 249, SL 14/1 in reply. India started with a bang, then fizzled out. As an avid cricket fan over the years, it never ceases to amaze me how Test cricket has changed. Remember those days when after a long day's play, it was not unusual to see just 200 or 220 runs scored in a whole day at a rate of about 2.5 runs an over? Compare those days to what happened in the 1st session today - 50 runs in just under 7 overs, 100 in 2o; and one realises how much Test cricket has evolved. But then, maybe not; because after that frenetic early pace, India took another 60 overs to score the remaining 149 which gives an average of just under 2.5! Funny game Test cricket, isn't it? What is with this new guy, Ajantha Mendis? People say he bowls a "carrom" ball - meaning he bowls it like you would hit a carrom striker - with your middle finger leading. Isn't it surprising that the Indian batsman, supposedly the best players of spin, have not been able to figure him out, with the notable exception of Sehwag and Gambhir? Is the bowler good? Or, are the batsman getting old? In all though, it was a fascinating day's cricket.. let's look forward to some more of this..