India face depleted firing squad

Ganguly admitted that the absence of Murali was an advantage as he knew the Premadasa conditions well and it was always a challenge facing 8216;8216;such a class act8217;8217;.

Just as important perhaps is that VVS Laxman has been given an extra 24 hours to recover from his injury and that Parthiv Patel would bat at seven as there was no time to summon a replacement.

Meanwhile, there is a question mark over Laxmi Balaji8217;s form but Ganguly said he was not about to ditch the swing bowler but was silent on the possibility of Zaheer Khan being drafted in for Ashish Nehra. 8216;8216;He Balaji did well for us in Australia and against Pakistan and I am not about to drop him for one poor spell,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;Balaji has performed well for us in similar conditions and I am placing my faith in his ability.8217;8217;

But things are bad for Ganguly. Sunday night8217;s B-Grade fielding effort that leaked runs galore against Pakistan still rankles in the mind and seriously scars the image of would-be-champions. Ganguly admitted that the Rahul Dravid dismissal and the careless run out of Mohammed Kaif had been a serious double blow. This has left Ganguly in dire straits and Dada is none-too-keen to go through it again.

8216;8216;We have been in these situations before and we know what is required to get ourselves out of it,8217;8217; Ganguly said, hiding the drama afflicting the side during the last 18 hours in which Laxman was almost packed off home in haste. The feeling is that Patel could be useful at seven as well as keep wickets. At least India would have learnt from the Dambulla experiment where he was clueless in the top order.

Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu will be looking for a first final since assuming captaincy last year. So far in the tournament, the Lankans have been more alert and better prepared than any other team. Feeding, as it were, off the experience of their Australian tour. India, on the other hand, are giving the impression of a disjointed force. With a gameplan gone awry.

Atapattu hinted on Friday night after the gentle gallop against Bangladesh that some players were going to be rested against India. What has partly forced the selection to look at other options is the form of Nuwan Zoysa and Farveez Maharoof. They have come on exceptionally well in the series and the flu that has hit Vaas will give him a chance to be fresh for the final.

The rumour is that resting Murali is to keep him away from Sachin Tendulkar while others suggest that it will give leg-spinner Upul Chandana and off-spinner Tillekeratne Dilshan a chance to work together as well as work up an understanding.

There is also a thought that the burly Avishka Gunawardene, who has a reputation of being a Sehwag-like butcher of a batsman, will give way to optional opener Saman Jayantha. As it is, like Guanawardne, Jayantha is a hard-hitting, consistent scorer at club level and rocketed into the selectors8217; vision during a spectacular Hong Kong series.

In this respect, the Lanka selectors have decided to follow the Australian formula of opting for an experienced 30-year-old to see what he can do. While he has had a few chances, he is still establishing himself at this level and a trial against the Indian bowlers could help him along.