ODI team pass first test

The eerie silence and empty chairs at the P Sara Stadium didn8217;t make it an ideal setting as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni unfurled the national flag...

The eerie silence and empty chairs at the P Sara Stadium didn8217;t make it an ideal setting as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni unfurled the national flag in the morning, nor when his deputy Yuvraj Singh erased the bitter batting failures at the same venue last week with a solo masterpiece around noon, and not even when the team combined in the evening to celebrate a comprehensive 92-run victory by feasting on watermelons and coconut scrapings.

Warm-up matches lend themselves to selective interpretations and, for a team that is desperate for some good news after a tough Test series, Yuvraj8217;s fiery 172 and the total of 342-5 could be interpreted as extremely positive signs. But it would be dangerous to read too much into Friday8217;s match, in which India first pounded and then restricted the wannabes of Sri Lankan cricket to 250-6 because things could change dramatically in the first one-day in Dambulla.

For starters, the wicket in Dambulla is known to be slow and low 8212; average scores in the vicinity of 220 8212; unlike the flat track that allowed Yuvraj to hit through the line and on the rise. Then, the Indians who are still working on a plan to counter Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan, were confronted by a three-man pace attack, with Malinga Bandara the only specialist spinner and Jehan Mubarak and Warnapura no more than part-time options.

Good start

The visitors raced off the blocks, again courtesy Gautam Gambhir whose 25-ball 31 included six audacious punches, most of them square on the off-side. Makeshift opener Virat Kohli settled in nicely and number three Suresh Raina was steady as the local seamers were punished 8212; Dilhara Fernando went for 75 10 wides and 4 no-balls, left-arm paceman Welegedera conceded 64 off nine overs, and Thilan Thushara had an economy rate of 6.6.

But Bandara tied the Indians down as the middle-order batsmen tried to smother the spin by using their feet. Left-handers Yuvraj and Raina looked to play safe against his leg-breaks, and even Rohit Sharma was conservative. Bandara went for 48 from his 10 overs with just three boundaries. But the same strategy against Mendis, Murali, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya on a turner may not even be as effective.

Once the batsmen had done the job, the focus shifted to the Indian seamers with RP Singh sharing the new ball with Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan coming on as first-change. Singh looked rusty, Pathan below his best, and though Munaf was tidy his contribution in the field will worry Dhoni.

Pragyan Ojha struggled but Harbhajan Singh looked in good shape again, 1/38 from his 10 overs.

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India have warmed up to the task nicely. Now they need to fill in the blanks during their three-hour drive to Dambulla on Saturday morning.