India got themselves in the right frame for the finals of the Tri Series against Australia with a runaway win over a hapless Sri Lanka. The manner of the win was such an emphatic one that the Indians will be surely full of beans as they head to Sydney for the first of the finals. They have a few days to iron out any wrinkles they feel are needed to be sorted out, but this game has given them an idea of what their team composition should be for that game. Whatever the merits, of dropping Sehwag from this game against Lanka, he must be brought back in the team for the finals in place of Munaf Patel and thus strengthen the batting, especially, seeing the way Praveen Kumar bowled in the Lanka match. India will thus have three seamers in Pathan, Ishant Sharma nd Praveen Kumar with Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj and Sehwag doing the remaining overs between them. The balance of this combo looks better and certainly there will be greater commitment from Sehwag on the field than Patel who with his lethargy can drag the team down and add to the frustration of the captain. Patel is a fine bowler but unless he is going to get at least three wickets, he is not going to be a useful cog in the wheel. Playing him in the longer version makes more sense than in the limited overs format where he has limited value if he doesn’t give early wickets because he can’t contribute on the field and with the bat.
Tendulkar’s strokeful knock would have also eased the worry in the Indian camp. When he bats as he did at the Bellerive Oval, the mood lightens in the dressing room and the breathing is easy. He has this incredible knack of making batting look so easy, and the others less talented get the confidence to play shots that they would have otherwise thought not playable. He inspires others to play their natural game and that’s why its crucial to India’s chances that he gets going in the finals, especially, the first one in Sydney. Gambhir simply continued his good form and this time around, it was without the risks that he had taken in his earlier knocks, and that made him look virtually unbowlable. Yuvraj played a cameo that was stunning, for the power and timing of his shots, but he didn’t do himself any good by getting out with only a handful of runs needed to seal a win.
Sri Lanka have to ask their most prolific batsman in the series, Kumar Sangakarra for the manner of his dismissal which opened the gates for India. Praveen Kumar who deservedly won the Man of the Match saw him charging down the pitch and bowled shorter, and that had the batsman fending and steering, and Dhoni made great ground to take the catch. After that, the collapse was unbelievable, as batsman after batsman committed hara-kiri and allowed India to control and dominate the game.
The win makes the last game of the Tri-Series redundant but Australia will use it to polish their team a little more and intimidate the Indians before they square up for the finals. The sizzle and simmer that’s been there right through this tour should all come to a boil and that too at the venue where it all started in early January. It should be a cracker.
