The Hindu : Sport : India keen to recapture winning form

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Wednesday, Aug 16, 2006

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India keen to recapture winning form

S. Dinakar

Weather forecast for the next two days is not heartening

COOL: Sachin Tendulkar takes his practice session seriously despite the confusion over the tri-series.

Colombo: Sri Lanka swamped England 5-0 away from home in its last ODI series. The Indians slumped to a 4-1 defeat in the Caribbean. When they meet at the Lion's Den - The Premadasa Stadium - on Wednesday, one side would seek to maintain momentum, while the other, to recapture winning ways.

Interestingly, the last occasion when the two sides clashed in a ODI series, India outplayed Sri Lanka 6-1 at home last year.

And that was an unexpected result considering that the islanders formed a side of depth and options while India was an emerging unit with several exciting but inexperienced cricketers.

A lot can change in a matter of a few months in international cricket. The Indians discovered that their pace bowling in pressure situations and the pacing of their innings on wickets of inconsistent bounce needed improvement.

And the Lankans, under Mahela Jayawardene's innovative captaincy and often inspirational leadership, recovered from a dark, unrewarding phase. They have since soared in self-belief and confidence.

A captivating day-night sub-continental contest is in prospect, but much hinges on the weather. Bright sunshine finally pierced through the dense clouds, however, Tuesday evening witnessed sharp showers. The forecast for the next two days is not heartening either.

Not a ball was bowled over two days in the Sri Lanka - South Africa match that never got underway at the Premadasa Stadium. Several portions of the outfield are still wet.

Toss holds the key

The toss holds the key and given the conditions, the possibility of the Duckworth and Lewis Method dictating the course of the contest, the presence of some moisture on the surface, the Indians could opt to field. This Indian side has a lot more self-belief in the chase as well.

Sachin Tendulkar returns after shoulder surgery and he would be keen to prove a point or two. There is a good possibility of Tendulkar opening the innings with skipper Rahul Dravid, with Virender Sehwag surfacing in the middle-order. The composition of the Indian attack would be interesting. With S. Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and Ajit Agarkar, likely to be first three choices, can a place be found for Irfan Pathan. India could give Pathan a fling at the expense of a second spinner in Ramesh Powar. Or Pathan and Munaf could vie for a place.

India has a slight fitness worry about Mohammed Kaif, down with a slight fever and a blocked nose. Kaif was not a part of India's practice session, but Dravid said the middle-order batsman should be on his feet soon.

The Indian captain also said his team would not be distracted by the security concerns in the city. "We are staying focused," he added.

Lankans on a roll

The Sri Lankans are on a roll these days. And coach Tom Moody's role in the side's revival needs to be recognised. Kumar Sangakkara too has been an influential vice-captain.

Rightly much focus has been on fielding. The Lankan fielding, particularly in the circle, has been a key reason for several of its triumphs in the sub-continent. The batsmen are unable to force the pace and the pressure builds on them. Choked for runs, they resort to desperate tactics and this is where the islanders swing games in their favour. The Lankan attack, given its very nature, relies more on the inner ring than probably any other major side. If there is a drop in one aspect, the other suffers a fall too.

The Lankans have an interesting selection issue to resolve; whether to field paceman Dilhara Fernando or opt for leg-spinner Bandara. Fernando could receive the nod.

Of course, Chaminda Vaas, with his ability to swing, his relentless accuracy and subtle variations, will be buzzing in the Lankan attack. Of course, all eyes will be on Muttiah Muralitharan. The duel between the off-spinning wizard and the Indian batsmen should be exhilarating, particularly if the contest is a truncated one.

The teams (from): India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni, I. Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, S. Sreesanth, Ramesh Powar, Dinesh Mongia, R.P Singh, Munaf Patel, Coach: Greg Chappell.

Sri Lanka: M. Jayawardene (captain), M. Atapattu, U. Tharanga, S. Jayasuriya, K. Sangakkara, T. Dilshan, P. Jayawardene, M. Maharoof, C. Vaas, S. Malinga, M. Muralitharan, C.K. Kapugedara, C. Bandara, D. Fernando, R. Perera. Coach: Tom Moody.

Umpires: Billy Bowden & Tyronne Wijewardene; Third umpire: Asoka de Silva; Match Referee: Chris Broad.

Hours of play: 2.30 p.m. (IST) to 6 p.m., 6.45 p.m. till end of match.

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