What to expect in the 3rd test at P Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo

[Fontaine]

This is not a ODI where you can get away with part-time keeper. WK in tests would be more strenuous and requires a lot more concentration and technique. Dravid cannot fit the role. Granted - Karthik did not perform well in the last 2 tests. So if we are to replaced Kartik' date=' he should be replaced by a regular wicket keeper who can perform better than him[/quote'] Well that's it really, I don't think Parthiv can do a better job than him.

[The_Black_Prince]

Match will be drawn. Sri Lanka 785 for 4 declared. India 552 all out (SR Tendulkar 47). Sri Lanka 332 for 1. Series drawn 1 - 1

[Tapioca]

What a nonsense of an article. The only new thing it says is that it may rain. The rest is all crap about what it did against South Africa and England, which is completely irrelevant to how the pitch is prepared for this match.

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Bit of pace and bounce in PSS pitch: curator India need not worry even if it loses the toss as the curator has assured bounce and movement for the bowlers in the pitch for the first few hours. Spl: Mission Sri Lanka Click & Play: My Fantasy Cricket More... Ishant, Zaheer can exploit fast track in third Test Press Trust Of India Colombo, August 06, 2008 First Published: 19:28 IST(6/8/2008) Last Updated: 19:48 IST(6/8/2008) India need not worry even if it loses the toss ahead of the third cricket Test as the curator has assured bounce and movement for the bowlers in the pitch for the first few hours. Unlike the Sri Lankans who are weighing all options of a new pace battery after the present ones failed to generate pace, the tourists have the aggressive Ishant Sharma who got vital breakthroughs even at the spinning track at Galle during the second Test. "The wicket initially will have some movement for quick bowlers for a few hours on the first day," said curator Anuruddha Polonwita on conditions at the P Saravanamuttu stadium in Colombo. He maintains it will be good both for the pacers as well as the spinners while conceding the track may be no different to the ones at the Sinhala Sports Club stadium in Colombo where the first Test was played as well as the Galle stadium. "Though the bounce may be little more, it will be more or less like at SSC and Galle," Polonwita said. The curator, however, disagreed on blaming the pitches for the two Test matches ended in four days. "If the bowlers bowl well they could have got wickets and if the batsmen had done well (in the first two matches) they could have scored runs," he said. He said the same was applicable for the third Test as well, which may not be very different on the later days of the match. The curator is of the view that bowlers like Ajantha Mendis can be effective on such a pitch.

[cowboysfan]

allright-this is better for us.I hope the pitch holds true then the losing the toss may not be as big of a deal.

[jf1gp_1]

Test History: 11 Tests; 4 home wins; YET Last 10 Tests: 5 home wins;

[satishg]

well if the reports are to be believed then its a pacy track..so lets hope v win the toss and put them in and let our fast bowlers at them big time..but if thats the case then we need a 3 pronged pace attack which i highly doubt AK wud be going with, since Bhajji has bowled so well in the last match..so Sourav mite be the 3rd bowler hmm it does put a lot of pressure on Zak and Ishant..i guess India wont mind losing the toss and being put in and fancying their chances against Lankans seam attack on this track..the chances of v coming on the top are higher if v bat first..so its quite a tricky situation the toss..

[Chandan]

Test History: 11 Tests; 4 home wins; YET Last 10 Tests: 5 home wins;

One test was the neutral test between Pak and Australia. Has that jumbled up the stats?

[Fontaine]

What a nonsense of an article. The only new thing it says is that it may rain. The rest is all crap about what it did against South Africa and England' date=' which is completely irrelevant to how the pitch is prepared for this match.[/quote'] Pretty much. Absolutely no info on how much grass, the conditions of the pitch and outfield, input from the curator? The article reads like a hasty cut and paste job from previous articles.

[King]

Why would you want to thrust wicket keeping to a guy that last kept wickets 4 years ago and has absolutely zero experience batting against Murali and Mendis in Patel? I don't want Dravid to keep wickets but since Karthik has failed both with the bat and behind the stumps, I'm just saying that it's an option as the selectors originally felt Dravid to be the second WK only for Kumble to specifically ask for another 2nd wicket keeper so obviously some feel that he could come in and play at that role. I'm not saying it's an ideal solution or even a permanent one obviously. But I am saying that it's a better option to have Dravid as the wicket keeper than Parthiv because of the flexibility it would offer us in having an extra spot open depending of the conditions of the pitch and my belief that Patel will be in effective batting against Murali/Mendis.

Why do you think Parthiv kept 5 years ago? Wicket Keeping is Parthiv's primary skill and he hones that skill on a daily basis including in domestic cricket unlike Rahul Dravid who was always a make shift wicket keeper. The very reason he quit wicket keeping was because he was crap and there were better wicket keepers around that also can bat. Anyways it will obviously won't happen. I don't think Rahul must even own a wicket keeping glove now. It must be sitting in the garage under a heap of dust.

[fineleg]

SL wont put in green track. All grass will be shaved off and only dried grass will be left. SL will struggle on green track, and they'll know it.

[Chaos]

Match will be drawn. Sri Lanka 785 for 4 declared. India 552 all out (SR Tendulkar 47). Sri Lanka 332 for 1. Series drawn 1 - 1

so india going to make 552 with highest score 47? bye bye blacky :--D

[Predator_05]

Match will be drawn. Sri Lanka 785 for 4 declared. India 552 all out (SR Tendulkar 47). Sri Lanka 332 for 1. Series drawn 1 - 1

Sorry Princey, but we're playing on a proper wicket here, not on an Antiguan highway.

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PSS Colombo : A bouncy track is likely Colombo: The historic P. Saravanamuttu Stadium ? where Sri Lanka played its first Test in 1982, and secured its first win in 1985 ? appears poised to provide the three-match series a fitting finale. The Indians, who practised ... More... A bouncy track is likely S. Ram Mahesh Colombo: The historic P. Saravanamuttu Stadium — where Sri Lanka played its first Test in 1982, and secured its first win in 1985 — appears poised to provide the three-match series a fitting finale. The Indians, who practised here on Wednesday morning, will like the look of the playing strip. Few things deaden a cricketer’s soul as surely as the sight of a moribund pitch ahead of a crucial encounter. The third Test doesn’t begin till Friday, and divining how a wicket might play even on the first morning is an inexact exercise, but the signs here are encouraging. The ground has a reputation of containing the truest track in Sri Lanka. Some locals go so far as to call it fast and bouncy (opinions that must be seen in the context of the country’s other strips, which are decidedly slow). But the reputation appears deserved the moment one enters the ground. Vitality of soil The wicket square is covered with lush grass — always an indication of the vitality of the soil. It’s also firm underfoot, compacted, the groundsman says, with pot clay, a composite of 40 to 50 per cent clay (this figure is usually higher than 60 per cent in grounds around the world that are noted for their pace and bounce). “This looks a fine surface,” said Anuruddha Polonwita, who as National Curator supervises the preparation of all playing strips in Sri Lanka. “This wicket will have bounce. The spinners, the quicker bowlers and the batsman will all enjoy playing on it, a little bit of something for everybody.” Polonwita said the strip will be shaved of its grass before the Test; the surface, however, is expected to hold together. India has played well recently on these kinds of surfaces. The batsmen enjoy the bounce for it aids strokeplay, while the seamers and the spinners are better armed. The side had its first session after the departure of coach Gary Kirsten. The session was directed by Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh, the bowling and fielding coaches respectively, and Paddy Upton, who is in charge of physical and mental conditioning. Expertise “There’s a lot of expertise within the team,” said Upton, asked about Kirsten’s absence. “There are five guys who have captained India, so it will just be a case of coordinating that expertise that’s already in the team. All players have been aware of their responsibility, of their roles in the team. Not only the players but also the management. It’s a just case of doing what we have always been doing.” What was the support group telling the team ahead of the decisive third Test? “The key is to prepare as well as possible for every single game, every game is critical in Test cricket,” said Upton. “We are sitting at a really critical point now, one-all with one to play. “Everyone knows how important it is. They don’t need too many reminders but we remind them anyway.” Upton, who Jacques Kallis credited for refurbishing his mental approach, said it was heartening that India won at Galle despite none in the famed middle-order contributing a game-breaking performance. Due for runs “We really do have a strong batting line-up,” said Upton. “And there’s some batsmen due runs. Really, it’s a team game of a whole lot of individuals. So individually, each person needs to take some responsibility to do something to contribute to the win. Similarly, the team has got to pull together for it to win. We have got that individual approach as well as the team approach.” Upton spent time with Dinesh Karthik, using cones to simulate nicks to the wicketkeeper standing up. The glovesman, who is under pressure after two difficult Tests, appeared in far better touch than he has during these drills at other stages of the tour. “He’s obviously going through a low, and I’ve spoken to him about it,” said Upton.

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Mood within is to drop Dinesh Karthik While the Indians appear to be in a bind over who should stand behind the stumps in the series-deciding Test, beginning on Friday, the Sri Lankans seem pretty confused on the issue of grass at the P. Sara Stadium. More... Mood within is to drop Dinesh Karthik - Hosts confused over retaining grass at the P. Sara Stadium LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI Sachin Tendulkar at a practice session in Colombo on Wednesday Colombo: While the Indians appear to be in a bind over who should stand behind the stumps in the series-deciding Test, beginning on Friday, the Sri Lankans seem pretty confused on the issue of grass at the P. Sara Stadium. According to The Telegraph’s sources, generally speaking, the mood within is to drop the out-of-form Dinesh Karthik and give Parthiv Patel his first Test in almost four years. However, those in favour of that change don’t quite know captain Anil Kumble’s thoughts on the matter and his really will be the final word. Karthik, who replaced Parthiv back in October 2004, is woefully short on confidence and his shoddy work has made it tougher for the bowlers. Incidentally, Parthiv trained longer than Karthik during Wednesday’s session, the visitors’ first after winning the Galle Test and making it 1-1. It’s Sachin Tendulkar, though, who sweated it out the most. Two Tests have gone and he still hasn’t been able to knock off the 172 runs needed to surpass Brian Lara’s record. The senior-most pro requires 97 more and, clearly, is intent on getting that many at least during the forthcoming face-off. India’s next Test, against Australia, is in October. Where the Sri Lankans are concerned, their top worry is over the kind of surface to offer. Should grass be retained or, given Ishant Sharma’s ability to get breakthroughs, removed? Things weren’t clear till late in the evening. That veteran spearhead Chaminda Vaas hasn’t been effective with a capital E has made it more difficult. The hosts, meanwhile, have retained the 15 and it’s expected that new-ball bowler Nuwan Kulasekara is going to be dropped. Either Thushara Mirando or Dhammika Prasad will get his place. Both Mirando and Prasad are quick and the Sri Lankans believe that pace could actually stop Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir from getting their team off to terms-dictating starts. In Galle, they put on 167 in the first innings and 90 in the second. Both partnerships proved decisive.

[Shane]

Hmm, a bouncy track sounds interesting, i think then we have the best exploit of it Ishant Sharma, remember Australia, he was massive at Perth, it will also help Jumbo and Bhajji, a bit of bounce from the track wont do them any harm

[MalikBrother]

OH Noooo !!!! ....If it's bouncy track, then definitely made big mistake to prefer the channel of broadcasting SA vs Eng over the channel of Ind vs SL

[Shane]

I think this is one of the most obvious decision, DK is clearly out of sorts with both the bat and the gloves, its about time parthiv gets his chance, i hope he has improved as a keeper and can prove that he is an able no.2 to MSD

[fineleg]

Folks - Mahela will cry to the curator and will try his best to make it *not* be pacer friendly.

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Focus on Karthik & Patel The scores are level going into the final Test but India’s much-vaunted middle-order is yet to fire, falling prey to the spin combination of Murali and Mendis. More... Focus on Karthik & Patel Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times Colombo, August 06, 2008 First Published: 22:53 IST(6/8/2008) Last Updated: 22:55 IST(6/8/2008) With coach Gary Kirsten having left for South Africa, the rest of the support staff had to crank things up a notch themselves. Venkatesh Prasad (bowling coach) and Robin Singh (fielding coach), along with Paddy Upton, who assists Kirsten, had their work cut out for them on a hot and humid morning as the players arrived at the P Saravanamuttu stadium in two batches for training and practice. While Prasad and Robin supervised the nets, Upton was busy organising fielding drills. Dhananjay, the video analyst, pitched in, bowling in the nets and even Nitin Patel, the physio, gave some players throw-downs. While the batsmen and bowlers went about their routines as usual, special attention was paid to Dinesh Karthik, who has struggled behind the stumps in the first two Test, and Parthiv Patel, the man seeking to displace Karthik. Patel has not played for India since 2004 when he was dropped after the Nagpur Test against Australia in October. The scores are level going into the final Test but India’s much-vaunted middle-order is yet to fire, falling prey to the spin combination of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, who have claimed 34 of the 40 wickets to fall. Upton, who spoke to the media after practice, tried to look at things in a positive manner. “We can take a lot of heart (from winning despite the big guns not booming),” he said. Upton also said the team had the experience and quality to overcome the absence of Kirsten. “There’s a lot of expertise within the team. There are five guys who have captained India, so it will just be a case of coordinating the expertise that’s already there.” While Upton would not comment on the playing surface, only saying that he had not “scrutinised” the pitch yet, Anuradha Polonowita, Sri Lanka’s national curator, was confident of a good game. “This looks a fine surface. We will have to cut the grass and make it even before the Test. This wicket has bounce. The spinners, the quicker bowlers, and the batsmen will enjoy playing on it.”