We’ll be better prepared for Tests: Moody

And he has his reasons for that. ‘‘India will be playing a one-day series in between whereas we will have some time to forget these past 20 days and work on our gameplan for the Tests here,’’ said Moody.

India will finish their five-match ODI series against the visiting South Africans on November 28, three days before the first Test against Sri Lanka in Chennai. “So I think India will be less prepared than us for the Test series,” added Moody.

Another aspect which Moody believes will have a positive bearing on their preparation for their first Test series in India since 1997 is the knowledge and experience they have gained from this series.

‘‘By playing in different conditions and different kind of pitches we have got a fair idea about things here and that will help a lot in our preparation for the Test series. ‘We now know what to expect,’’ he said.

Coming for the ODIs, the Lankans started as firm favourites having beaten India fair and square during the Indian Oil tri-series a couple of months earlier.

India’s record during their tour of Zimbabwe after that too gave no indication of things to follow. But the 6-1 margin has shown that things have changed very rapidly in Indian cricket.

Both Moody and skipper Marvan Atapattu admitted that this was not the same squad that they had encountered in Sri Lanka during the tri-series.

With the inclusion of a host of youngsters, combined with ‘experiments’ and ‘strategies’ all falling in place, the Indians not only outplayed the Lankans but have also ‘out-thought’ them. Besides, this was Moody’s first tour with the Sri Lankan team away from home.

Sri Lanka’s record, like that of India, has been patchy on foreign soil. Beating India in India was always a tough proposition and this was heightened by those two big losses at Nagpur and Mohali early in the series. ‘‘After those losses we were just chasing the game,’’ said the Sri Lankan coach.

‘‘We saw a glimmer of hope after the fifth game at Ahmedabad. But things were back to square one at Rajkot,’’ he conceded.

Despite these losses, the Lankans have always looked a very cohesive unit.

‘‘The mood in the camp has been fantastic as always. But the individuals who failed to play to their potential have to sit back and reflect on their performance, do some soul-searching and come back with a new mindset,’’ the Lankan coach said.

Sachin to consult doctor in Delhi

: Sachin Tendulkar will be consulting British doctor Andrew Wallace who operated upon his elbow in London in May this year, in New Delhi as part of a continuous rehabilitation process.

The star batsman will make a brief visit to the capital to be thoroughly examined by the orthopaedic surgeon, who is on a short visit to the country.

“Wallace has come to Delhi for some other work and Tendulkar is taking this opportunity to consult him,” BCCI secretary S K Nair said.

Nair, however, could not specify as to when exactly Tendulkar would meet the renowned surgeon.

Meanwhiile, the series win has brought a windfall for the Indian team. The BCCI announced a special cash award of Rs.50 lakh for Rahul Dravid’s men for their stupendous show in the seven-match series.