West Indies Tri-series 2013: India vs Sri Lanka match preview

Virat Kohli will lead India in Dhoni’s absence

Mumbai, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Dhaka, Hambantota, Colombo, Pallekele, Cardiff and now Jamaica. At this rate, the India-Sri Lanka rivalry seems even plausible on moon with the only requirement being a cricket stadium. In the last five years, the sub-continental heavyweights have met each other a mind-numbing 45 times.

The two teams will clash again in the second match of the Celkon Tri-nation Cup at Sabina Park on Tuesday. Following Sri Lanka’s promising run in the Champions Trophy, captain Angelo Mathews wanted his side to continue the good work.

But, they suffered a severe jolt as the Gayle storm blew Sri Lanka away. Their neighbours India, too, had a far from ideal start, losing to the hosts, who are sitting pretty at the top of the points table with two wins in as many games plus a bonus point.

India and Sri Lanka, both of whom are yet to open their account in the tri-nation tournament, will be keen not to concede even an inch in order to keep their hopes of reaching the final intact.

India’s opening bowling combination is nascent. Though Bhuvneshwar Kumar guarantees early inroads, India’s death bowling that has forever been India’s achilles heel, has hardly shown any signs of improvement.

The biggest concern for India would be the absence of their leader- Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Captain Cool/ Wicket-keeper/ Philosopher/ occasional bowler never took the field after sustaining a hamstring pull while batting. While Virat Kohli, who stood in as captain in Dhoni’s absence, made some daring moves including the successful one of bringing Suresh Raina into the attack at the death, the Men in Blue dearly missed the patented calmness of Dhoni.

The million dollar question is that can Virat Kohli tone down his temper tantrums and inspire the team if Dhoni fails to clear a late fitness test. Dhoni’s injury may also pave way for the return of Tamil Nadu batsman, Murali Vijay. The other Tamil Nadu player, Dinesh Karthik, who looked rusty with the bat and behind the stumps has to step up to the plate.

Bar Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara, Sri Lanka’s bowling appeared as flat as a pancake. Sri Lanka’s decision to play as many as three spinners in the tourney opener was severely scrutinized. It only seems logical to bench a tweaker and recall the nippy Shaminda Eranga. A bowler in the mould of Chaminda Vaas, Eranga can move the ball off the seam and hoodwink batsmen with his surprise weapon- the slower one.

The injuries to the multi-dimensional Thisara Perera and dynamic Dilshan has upset the balance of the team. Sri Lanka will look up to the twin towers of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to lead the batting. Having learnt the tricks of trade from grandmasters- Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, expect the Mahela-Sanga combo to tame the variable pace and bounce of Jamaica pitch.

Probable XIs:

India: R Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli, D Karthik, S Raina, MS Dhoni/ M Vijay, R Jadeja, R Ashwin, I Sharma, U Yadav, B Kumar

Sri Lanka: U Tharanga, M Jayawardene, K Sangakkara(wk), D Chandimal, A Mathews, L Thirimanne, N Kulasekara, J Mendis, R Herath, L Malinga, S Eranga/A Mendis

Key Players:

R Sharma: Rohit’s mediocre career stats- 2302 runs in 94 games does no justice to his tremendous potential. He bound the Indian innings together with a fine fifty only to flitter away the early advantage for the umpteenth time.

M Jayawardene: Mahela’s artistry would give the likes of Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo a run for their money. Waiting patiently for the ball to come to him, Mahela filleted the gaps with an equal measure of subtlety and precision against the West Indies.

Prediction: India will beat Sri Lanka comfortably to set up their first victory of the tri-nation series.