Resurgent India move to the desert

From a team of no-hopers, suddenly, the Indians, with the addition of some exciting youngsters in their ranks, look transformed into a team who play to win, and win on their merits rather than their rivals’ demerits. And now they must be looking forward to prove that their performance in Nairobi was no flash in the pan, that their approach to a game has indeed seen a marked turnaround.

Captain Saurav Ganguly is not averse to trying out his limited options in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka tomorrow.

His hands are forced in terms of bowling and batting options but shuffle he must if India is to test fire its ammunition before the tournament really gets serious next week.

The three participating teams, India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe would have played two matches each by Sunday before they repeat the cycle next week to identify the finalists for the trophy. The final is slated for October 29.Ganguly is seriously restricted in the batting options and must look to add depth in the middle order even if it means dropping a regular bowler from the side.

If the ICC knock-out tourney in Nairobi was any indication, S Sriram is set to resume his one-match old international career at the expense of Ajit Agarkar. The Mumbai paceman was a shadow of his former bustling self in Nairobi and it seems the spate of injuries and his slim frame have put a question mark over his career. Sriram rates high in Ganguly’s esteem as a sharp inside-the-ring fielder and a useful batsman and left-arm tweaker. He has the makings of a useful one-day allrounder and with Robin Singh could make the Indian tail appear that much shorter.

Otherwise Ganguly will struggle to put either Sunil Joshior Hemang Badani in the playing eleven .

Joshi, the left-arm spinner from Karnataka who has had a chequered career since making his debut against England in the Edgbaston Test of 1996, is unlikely to find a place against a strong Sri Lankan batting line-up.

As for prospects of including Badani, Ganguly will have to drop a batsman to accommodate the Tamil Nadu left-hander but it is a tall order. Sri Lanka appear well-drilled for the battle ahead. Their batting runs deep with two explosive batsmen in Kumar Sangakkara and Rumesh Kaluwitharana coming late at number six or seven.

The first five batsmen in Sanath Jayasuriya, Avishka Gunawardena, Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold and Mahela Jayawardene can make any bowler sweat. Sangakkara and Kaluwitharana precede the four bowlers in the side.

Sri Lanka have two newcomers in Kaushalya Weeraratne and Tillekeratne Dilshan and coach Dave Whatmore said they are the future of Sri Lankan cricket.

The Teams (from):
India: Saurav Ganguly (Capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Vinod Kambli, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Singh, Vijay Dahiya, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Sunil Joshi, S Sriram, Venkatesh Prasad and Zaheer Khan.

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold, Mahela Jayawardene, Avishka Gunawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Rumesh Kaluwitharana, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Kumara Weeraratne, Muthiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa and Kumara Upasantha.
Umpires: Steve Dunne (New Zealand), George Sharp (England).
Third Umpire: Darryl Harper (Australia).