Reputations at stake

A spirited game of second-guessing has begun ahead of tomorrow8217;s final of the tri-series. Sri Lanka are wary of India8217;s late surge...

A spirited game of second-guessing has begun ahead of tomorrow8217;s final of the tri-series. Sri Lanka are wary of India8217;s late surge, and are no doubt weighing that against their hopeless record in finals.

The fact that the hosts lost to the same team their opponents beat over the weekend is being spun in whichever way you choose; Lanka have had their share of losing, India are obviously chipper going into the final.

But Greg Chappell is oblivious to all that. He8217;s currently in a zone of his own, trying to tackle the shortcomings of his team, unchanged from Sunday8217;s match. His boys haven8217;t managed to please him so far, and the little that he says 8212; when he does speak 8212; is enough to convey that the Indians have not come close to what he expects of them.

After issuing the standard quota of statements on Monday 8212; dealing mainly with the batting, especially the top order 8212; Chappell shepherded his players to the nets. There are things that he needs to fix before the big game, and he8217;s leaving no stone unturned.

The two most immediate problems on hand have to do with the form of opener Virender Sehwag and the struggling VVS Laxman. Of the two, Sehwag has redeemed himself with his bowling in the slog overs, especially on Sunday.

Chappell has never doubted Sehwag8217;s ability and understands that once the Delhi batsman gets going, half the team8217;s work is done. So the coach had an extended, intensive session with him at the nets, chatting with him about his shots, watching him bowl, correcting his running between the wickets.

Incidentally, suggestions that Sehwag might play a more restrained game, to stay longer in the middle, have been rubbished by the team members.

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Laxman, though, knows he8217;s probably playing for his one-day future tomorrow. He8217;s averaged a mere 14.50 in the series so far and just about keeps his place ahead of the talented Y Venugopala Rao, whose gutsy 38 in the first match against Sri Lanka caught Chappell8217;s attention.

What further weakens Laxman8217;s case 8212; apart from the fact that he doesn8217;t bowl and can8217;t really field 8212; is that his failure comes in his favoured number three position to bat. It seems a remote prospect that the stylish Hyderabadi will find his rhythm in the final but he8217;s known to overcome lengthy odds.

These problems apart, the Indians look far stronger than they did in the first two matches against the Lankans. The debate on whether Indians need a more reliable fifth bowler in the side has now taken a backseat 8212; at least until the final is over. As Dravid suggests, Sehwag and Yuvraj will handle the job for now.

Chappell is also aware of the fact that even the Lankan top-order has been in a mess, so far. And with Kumble in the team now, the Indians will be wasting no time to decide what their priorities will be in the final.

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Tackling the Lankan middle-order 8212; Mahela Jayawardene, Upal Chandana, T Dilshan, Arnold, Mahroof 8212; will remain the key task.

India8217;s balance sheet

	nbsp;	THE CREDITS WINNING NOTE: India enter the final with a well-fought win, so morale should be high. Lanka lost to the same opponents the previous day YOUNG GUNS: Further morale-boost from the return to form of Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, crucial links in India8217;s middle order but lacking a big score in three years SEHWAG OVERDUE: Sehwag has been missing in action throughout the series. That is out of character for him 8212; he8217;s never got a series without a big score 8212; so expect fireworks TWIN STRIKE FORCE: Nehra and Pathan have found their rhythm, each taking six wickets at a sub-24 average and an economy rate sub-4 PULLING TOGETHER: The team has been free of the usual off-field sometimes on-field shenanigans and politicking. There seems to be more cohesion THE DEBITS TOP GUNS MISFIRE: Dravid, Sehwag and Laxman have scored a total of 199 runs. They should have been the backbone of the batting but have been below par KILLER INSTINCT: India have a problem finishing off matches. After letting Sri Lanka claw their way back twice, they almost lost to West Indies after having them on the mat FULL-STRENGTH LANKA: The Lankans have beaten India twice without their three stalwarts: Murali, Vaas and Jayasuriya. They are all expected back tomorrow ORDER DISORDER: After a lot of experimentation, India has yet to find a batting combination, as everybody has failed at their chosen positions and none has had enough time in the experimental slots to get used to them FINAL COUNTDOWN: Sri Lanka have won 11 of the last 13 finals at home, losing once to India and sharing another. Of the last five finals against Sri Lanka, India have lost four and shared another. And India have a 5-11 win-loss record against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa	nbsp;