Ready to rule Asia again

After a difficult time overseas,India will hope to rediscover their touch in the subcontinent

A torturous tour of Australia behind them,the India team,faltering world champions,will travel to a cricketing venue where they have mastered conditions in the past and for a tournament that has brought them success. On the Asia Cup roll of honour,the teams name has been inscribed five times,the most in this quadrangular contest.

The Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here is a venue at which India have registered record totals in Tests and One-day Internationals. The 375 for four,the highest ODI total at this modern venue,was posted by two rampaging centurions Virender Sehwag 175 in 140 balls and Virat Kohli 100 in 83 balls as the team trampled over Bangladesh in the early stages of their successful World Cup campaign. A year later,the contrast in career graphs of these two batsmen is stark. Sehwags plummeting average has been intertwined with Indias misfortunes over the past eight months while Kohlis assured batting has been a beacon,most recently during a masterful unbeaten 133 against Sri Lanka at Hobart.

The failure of MS Dhonis side to make the final of the CB Series coupled with the advancement of Sri Lanka as a capable all-round unit is bound to have a physiological impact during the seven games,which will also feature the Islanders,a team that has won the Asia Cup four times.

Mahela Jayawardenes side will be brimming with confidence when they land after a long flight from the Southern Hemisphere. The Sri Lankans have lot of going their way the openers have fashioned wins,and so have the handy bowling all-rounders. A shuffling of the batting order and infusion of fresh faces has seen the formation of an effective middle-order. The bowling,especially strike option Lasith Malinga,havent been effective enough but skipper Mahela Jayawardene has made them look better with smart bowling changes and attacking fields. Clearly,Jayawardenes style of captaincy has invigorated this side.

Rumours of a rift

Watching Dhoni finish off games at No. 6 should have had a similar effect in the early part of the CB Series but ambiguity over a rotation policy and rumours of a rift between senior players have seemingly left the team distracted and disjointed.

The start of the Asia Cup will also witness a change in equations in the dressing room with Kohli taking over the reins of vice-captaincy from Gautam Gambhir,who hasnt been on the same page as Dhoni recently with regard to team tactics. There is also bound to be a fight for places,which can bring the best out of the competitors when a team is doing well but also breed uncertainly during bad patches like these.

Among middle order aspirants are Manoj Tiwary,Rohit Sharma,Suresh Raina,while the all-rounder slot at No.7 will have claimants on the form of Ravindra Jadeja,the incumbent,Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan. Off-spinner R Ashwin will also be eager to bowl in subcontinental conditions after an average tour of Australia.

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For over eight months now under Dhoni the team hasnt played like a champion unit. In their last match Down Under against Sri Lanka,with nothing to lose India chased down 321 with 80 balls and seven wickets to spare but disheartening losses by 110 runs,51 runs and 87 runs had already done the damage.

Success can again be courted in Mirpur on a set of wickets more suited for the stroke-making stars conditions in which the team roared to become world champions little less than a year ago. Pakistan,equally adept at playing in the sub-continent,will be looking to avenge their Cup semi-final loss,hosts Bangladesh on their day can be tricky opponents and the Lankans are on a roll. Defending champs India wont be ranked favourites in this edition of the Asia Cup. But if Dhonis beleaguered team starts enjoying their game again in these home-like conditions,the smell of success will return.