— Photo: S. Subramanium

GEARING UP FOR THE BATTLE: Yuvraj Singh (right) is likely to play in the absence of Virender Sehwag in the second Test against Sri Lanka in New Delhi.

New Delhi: Mortified a smidgeon — despite the popular "read no more in to it" refrain — at being found out on a dicey wicket in the rain-curtailed first Videocon Cup Test, India will look to make amends in the second match starting at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Saturday.

The mood, though, is a touch bizarre and somehow lacking in the buzz the day before a Test generates.

Perhaps it's because both India and Sri Lanka have practiced at different grounds, neither of which is the Test venue, thus robbing the impending encounter of spatial immediacy.

Maybe it's because the Indian camp has injury concerns and the full roster didn't turn up — captain Rahul Dravid and vice-captain Virender Sehwag did not attend Friday's practice session at the Palam sports complex, while Mohammad Kaif left early.

Minor media fracas

And add to the fray a minor media fracas. Sehwag had missed Thursday's practice session and media manager Wing Commander M. Baladitya had said then that the opener "was taking it easy".

But amidst reports that Sehwag had been admitted to hospital, and outbursts from sections of the media on Friday that transparency in disseminating information was lacking, Baladitya said: "He is recovering and progressing well and the final verdict will be known this evening."

The Najafgarh resident was the sole Indian batsman who controlled play during the Chennai Test, and the impact of his absence — if unfit — could be crucial.

Dravid, who has a "mild bout of fever", was rested as a precaution and was likely to be fit for the match, while Kaif, with a stomach ailment, had "wound up early", said the media manager.

Not distressed

Coach Greg Chappell rounded it off saying he was "worried but not distressed" about the illnesses and that if "it was humanly possible they (Dravid and Sehwag) would be there".

The Sri Lankans, in the limited time they had in the first Test, showed they had exorcised the ghosts of the 1-6 drubbing in the ODIs.

They had batted and fielded fecklessly and had bowled without discipline through the one-dayers, but have improved perceptibly since.

Mahela Jayawardene's half-century, Chaminda Vaas's spell and Tillakartane Dilshan's tumbling catch to dismiss Sourav Ganguly in Chennai were out of the top drawer even taking into account the theory that they had played out of their skins because they knew they couldn't lose.

"It was a good wake-up call for us, a blessing in disguise," said Chappell. "It shook us out of our one-day mode. But we won't be panicking about it.

"We were probably not as well prepared leading up with the one-dayers and (with) three days (of the Test) lost. My view, and it could be wrong, was that it was difficult when we batted and got easier later on."

The cricket here should be fascinating, not least because of the conditions on offer. The Kotla pitch is the pallid grey of a rotting corpse but is covered breadth-wise by a patch of live grass that extends till the good-length region at both ends.

While Chappell said early inspections "distorted" his views on a pitch, and that he preferred to see it on the morning of the match, the curator insisted the grass wouldn't be shorn.

Atapattu surprised

Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu said he was surprised to see grass on the wicket while coach Tom Moody said the side was looking to build on the confidence gained from the first Test.

Sri Lanka will choose to ignore the curious irony of A.V. Jayaprakash, from whose end Anil Kumble bowled en route to the perfect ten at this ground, being the third umpire.

With nip and moisture in the air further aiding the quicker bowlers early on, the teams might rethink their combinations and decisions on winning the toss.

Yuvraj Singh looks set to partner Gautam Gambhir (in his first Test at his hometown) if Sehwag is ruled out and the question of who will lead if both skipper and deputy miss out remains suspended in "hypothetical" realms.

Sachin Tendulkar will continue his quest for the thirty-fifth. "With all what's said in the media it's tough not to think about it, but Sachin is coping well," said Chappell.

"He is batting well and moving well in the nets. We'd all be happy if he gets it here."

The teams (from):

India: Rahul Dravid (capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Murali Kartik.

Sri Lanka: Marvan Atapattu (capt.), Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Avishka Gunawardene, Lasith Malinga, Sajeewa Weerakoon, Jehan Mubarak, Malinga Bandara.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (Australia) and Nadeem Ghauri (Pakistan). Third umpire: A.V. Jayaprakash (India). Match referee: Clive Lloyd.

Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., 12.10 p.m. to 2.10 p.m., and 2.30 p.m. till close.

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