Indian’s going gungho

Gaekwad, speaking to the press after nets, said: “We would like to finish the competition here and qualify for the final, rather than take a chance at Mohali. “Ajay has captained India very well in the past and there is no reason why there should be a problem here,” he added.

Arjuna Ranatunga, meanwhile, was confident about his team, especially with the presence of Aravinda de Silva and the return of Chaminda Vaas in place of Botheja. “I may not be in top form right now, but since all the players are doing so well, I don’t think there should be any problem,” said Ranatunga.

India have decided to go in with two left-handed openers, with S Ramesh making his debut at the top slot opposite Saurav Ganguly. Delhi all-rounder Virender Sehewag and Uttar Pradesh’s Gyanendra Pandey, however, do not figure in the first twelve, since this is a crucial encounter.

Late inductee Hrishikesh Kanitkar, coming into the team in place of Mohammad Azharuddin, who is out with a “niggling shoulder injury”, is expected to bolster the batting attack along with Tamil Nadu’s Robin Singh who was out for the first two matches of the series. Vying with Kanitkar for a slot in the first eleven will be Madhya Pradesh’s left-handed batsman Amay Khurasia. Jadeja revealed that he will be coming in at the number four position.

The final eleven along with the combination of spinners and seamers would be decided only in the morning after seeing the ball movement on the pitch, said both the captains. India’s present net run-rate at -0.63 is marginally lower than Sri Lanka’s -0.59 while Pakistan lead the tables with one point after winning two of their three matches.