Rain threat looms over tour game

Weather often has a huge say when Indian teams tour Sri Lanka. But with dark clouds hovering over Mumbai,where the...

Weather often has a huge say when Indian teams tour Sri Lanka. But with dark clouds hovering over Mumbai,where the visitors play their tour opener against Board Presidents (BP) XI in a three-day match starting Wednesday,it is the Lankans who seem set to make a wet start to their seven week-long campaign in India.

Despite an incessant light drizzle,Kumar Sangakkara & Co did manage to get a two-hour low-intensity session on Tuesday morning. However,the BP XI players,who arrived at the BKC ground in Bandra,were forced to go through the motions on the practice wickets as the drizzle turned heavy and the centre had to be covered.

Though disappointed with not getting a feel of the actual square,BP XI captain Rohit Sharma insisted that the match would be an opportunity for members of his team to impress the selectors. But with the Indian squad for the first two Tests already announced,there might not be much motivation left for most players.

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Among the 14 members in the BP XI,only Pragyan Ojha has got the nod from the selectors. With first-choice spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra near certainties in the final XI,it is unlikely that Ojha will get a look-in during the series. But the left-arm spinner from Hyderabad may want to prove a point or two with a solid performance here.

His partner in the spin department will be India reject leg-spinner Piyush Chawla,who made an impression in England with Sussex earlier this year and has been signed up by Surrey for next season. Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary will be looking to score some runs against quality opposition while this will be yet another platform for 19-year-old Abhinav Mukund to showcase his talent.

Most places in the Sri Lankan team look settled and,in all likelihood,the three-day affair will be a chance for the tourists to decide on the second spinner to partner Muttiah Muralitharan. Interestingly,there was no play on the first day of Sri Lankas last match against the BP XI at Bangalore in 2005. And with the rain threat looming large,the Lankans could end up going to Ahmedabad for the first Test fresher but lesser prepared than they would have liked.