After their 3-1 victory over the West Indies, the Indians start as favorites against Sri Lanka in the last of their One-Day series before they embark on the journey to capture the ICC World Cup. Apart from the fact that Sri Lanka have chosen to rest their key bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Muthiah Muralitharan, the manner in which the Indian batting has come good augurs well not just for this series but also the World Cup.
Back at the top of the order and hitting the ball sweetly is Saurav Ganguly, and in Robin Uthappa, he has found an opening partner who looks pretty solid in defense and has an attacking streak to match Virender Sehwag’s. The Delhi player’s return to the team gives Dravid plenty of flexibility, especially now that both he and Tendulkar are back to their best. It means that either of them can float up and down the order depending on the start that the openers have given. There is also Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who can be promoted up the order and though Pathan hasn’t quite got back his bowling rhythm, his batting will be useful if things get sticky against the canny Lankans. The only question-mark is against Yuvraj, and that is not about his ability but how quickly he can get back to hitting the ball as only he can. It is never easy to recapture one’s touch after a long layoff, especially if it has been forced upon him by a serious injury. Yuvraj’s innate self-confidence should get him back among the runs sooner than later. That will complete the batting picture for the Indian team.
The bowling looks in good hands with Zaheer and Agarkar, but they will have a real workout against the Sri Lankans, who come to India this time in a better frame than the last time they were here about 15 months ago. Sanath Jayasuriya has belted some big ones in New Zealand and Sangakarra has been the lynchpin of the batting against the Kiwis when the ball was doing something. Their captain Jayawardene was not at his fluent best in New Zealand, but he is too classy a player to miss out for long, and with Atapattu back in the team, there is lots of class and experience in the Lankan batting. So it should be a good test for the Indian bowlers. The ones who will be under pressure are Pathan and Harbhajan. The Lankans will try and attack them, knowing that they are still not certainties for the World Cup squad. Kumble will have to bring all his experience into play against the Sri Lankan batting, and if the pitches are good, then the spectators could be in for a treat with the batting from both teams.
Lasith Malinga who bowls with a slinging action will be the bowler who the Indians will have to watch out for. He is the ‘X’ factor, as the intelligent Sangakkara has pointed out, and that’s what has given Sri Lanka the additional firepower to bowl sides out.
In the fielding the Lankans will be a lot smarter than the Indians, as the home team has quite a few senior players who aren’t exactly fleetfooted, and that may well be the decisive difference between the two teams. India walked all over the Lankans the last time they were in India. This time, they may not find the path full of roses if they walk with their heads up in the air after the Windies series win.
