India aiming for third straight win

Fitness concerns may force change in personnel; injured Malinga unlikely to return for Sri Lanka

LOOKING FOR CONFIDENCE: With the World T20 just around the corner, Suresh Raina, who has not been among the runs of late, would ideally like to get his form back against Sri Lanka.

A battle-scarred India will be looking to carry its good form when it meets Sri Lanka in its third league outing of the Asia Cup T20 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here on Tuesday.

>Injuries to some of its key players have been the only cause of concern for Indi a, which so far has been able to impress with its dominance on the performance front.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni complained of back spasm as soon as the Indians arrived in Bangladesh and one of the mainstays of the team batting, Rohit Sharma, has a sore toe after he was hit by a crushing yorker from Mohammad Amir in the last match against Pakistan.

India’s successful march picked up its share of casualties. While Dhoni did show up at practice, Rohit stayed away from the drills today.

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit’s regular opening partner, too missed the last match with an injured left ankle making the team management go for Ajinkya Rahane as replacement.

Malinga woes Despite the injuries, India can count itself to be the favourite against an opponent which has greater concerns when it comes to the form and fitness of the team. Sri Lanka, in all likelihood, will be missing its captain and spearhead Lasith Malinga, who saw his team capitulate to host Bangladesh in the last match sitting with a strapped knee in the dugout.

Stand-in captain Angelo Mathews may see his role extended further >as Malinga’s return has been delayed by the seriousness of the injury.

The Indian camp will be weighing many options about the playing eleven, forced more by the question of player fitness rather than the urge to rotate the side as Dhoni said at the inception of the tournament.

With the ICC World Twenty20 round the corner, the Indian think tank may be forced to alter the combination which remained largely the same in the last two months, where it won seven out of eight outings.

With Parthiv Patel drafted in as a late requisition after Dhoni’s injury, the left-hander may well get in for his Mumbai Indians teammate Rohit if he is ruled out.

With Rahane already in for Dhawan, the match against Sri Lanka may see a new opening combination.

>The brilliance of Virat Kohli, who took India to the shore weathering the pace attack of Pakistan with a masterful 49 in the last match, is one aspect that India will like see a repeat of as it looks to seal a spot in the final.

Suresh Raina, who has not been in his element of late, will want to get his confidence back and so will Yuvraj Singh, who will also love to get a big score ahead of the World meet.

Consistent bowling The bowling department, which has seen a fine dovetailing of youth and experience with pacers like >Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya combining well , will be working for more consistency.

Spinners R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja too will be eager to whet their skills ahead of the big event. Harbhajan Singh and new revelation Pawan Negi also await in the dugout if the skipper wishes to get his rotation policy in place.