The Hindu : Sport : Sri Lanka faces a resurgent India

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Sri Lanka faces a resurgent India

S. Dinakar

A crucial match for Mahela Jayawardene’s men

— Photo: AFP

raring to go: Harbhajan Singh should enjoy the bounce on offer at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Canberra: The Manuka Oval has to be among the compelling venues in contemporary cricket. Languidly beautiful, it is surrounded by trees. The ambience in this old fashioned stadium is distinctly traditional.

Mahela Jayawardene will have other things in mind than appreciating the appearance of the Manuka Oval. He will keep it for some other day. For now, the Sri Lankan captain and his men face a serious challenge against a resurgent India. There is a lot of cricket left in the CB series, yet this match could have a bearing on whether Sri Lanka progresses to the final or not.

India leads the pack with eight points from three games and Sri Lanka is at the bottom with two from two. If India wins here, the Lankans would have a lot of catching up to do against two good sides. Jayawardene acknowledged this much which pointed to the significance of Tuesday’s duel under the sun.

A dry wicket could suit Muttiah Muralitharan. The off-spin genius would be keen to settle scores with Gautam Gambhir. Harbhajan Singh too might find some assistance from the surface. Despite the lack of grass on the surface, there should be an element of bounce for the pacemen. This could encourage the spinners as well.

Incisive attack

The Lankans have an injury worry with the combative middle-order batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan suffering from an infected knee. A decision will be taken on him on Tuesday morning. If Dilshan does not recover, all-rounder Farvez Maharoof might receive a look-in. Sri Lanka will need to pull up its batting socks against an incisive pace attack.

The Lankans will have to contend with one of India’s fastest new ball combinations Ishant Sharma and S. Sreesanth. This is an impressive right-arm pair of contrasts.

Given that his natural delivery leaves the left-hander, Ishant could pose searching questions to Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara in the Lankan top-order.

Ishant sorted out Matthew Hayden at the MCG and the Lankan top-order needs to be on guard. Negotiating movement at speeds in the high 140s is never easy.

The accomplished Sangakkara is striking the ball well and his strategy against Ishant could be interesting. The chances are he would respond with aggression. The Indians would be hoping for a swift recovery by Ishant from a minor abdominal strain.

With his natural outswing, Sreesanth has been operating zestfully to the right-handers in the series. His face-off with Jayawardene could be engaging.

For the Lankans, Ishara Amerasinghe has bowled with pace and control. And someone like Lasith Malinga is capable of whipping up an inspired spell. Chaminda Vaas might still have some gas left in the tank.

The conditions in a day match could favour a side bowling first because of the morning moisture on the pitch. And the Manuka Oval is no small ground where totals can be chased without sweat.

In all its three matches so far, India has rallied after being dented early on. Skipper M.S. Dhoni has breathed defiance in the middle-order. Youngsters like Rohit Sharma have responded to pressure situations. Yuvraj Singh needs to contribute in the middle-order.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), S. Tendulkar, V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, R. Uthappa, I. Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S. Sreesanth, S. Raina, D. Karthik, P. Chawla, P. Kumar, M. Patel, M. Tiwary.

Sri Lanka: M. Jayawardene (captain), S. Jayasuriya, U. Tharanga, K. Sangakkara, C. Silva, C. Kapugedera, F. Maharoof, C. Vaas, L. Malinga, M. Muralitharan, I. Ameresinghe, T. Dilshan.

Umpires: T. Hill & D. Oxenburg; Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

Match starts at 4.30 am IST.

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