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India in Sri Lanka 2008-09

nikitha

By nikitha
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Sri Lanka searching for answers Colombo: Is Sri Lanka?s traditional strategy at home ? choking the flows of runs in the middle-overs with spin and creating pressure ? out of place in the age of Power Plays and big hits? The advent of Twenty20 cricket ... More... Sri Lanka searching for answers S. Dinakar Colombo: Is Sri Lanka’s traditional strategy at home — choking the flows of runs in the middle-overs with spin and creating pressure — out of place in the age of Power Plays and big hits? The advent of Twenty20 cricket has seen the batsmen playing a lot more strokes; calculated risks no longer appear out of place. And a powerful batting unit such as India is bound to threaten the 300-run mark on the sub-continental tracks. The omission of Ajantha Mendis from the fourth ODI points to a possible shift in the Lankan thinking. Although he did little in the game, Mendis’ replacement Angelo Matthews is a pace-bowling all-rounder. Power Play factor Against a sure-footed bunch of Indian batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene has found it hard to handle two specialist spinners inside the 50 overs. The batting Power Play has also changed the dynamics of a one-day contest. The bowling side generally takes the second Power Play inside the first 20 overs and Jayawardene, in this series, has delayed the introduction of his premier spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Under the circumstances — given that the batting side generally tends to opt for its Power Play after the 35-over mark — it is hard for a captain to manage the overs of two specialist spinners in the middle and the end overs against an in-form batting line-up. Indeed, the changes in the Power Play rules have impacted the Lankan strategy adversely. Restricting the Indian line-up to middle-range scores can be a tough job in the shorter form of the game where the close catchers are not in play. The Indians were cautious in the first two games against Muralitharan and Mendis. However, the Lankan spinners have been taken aback by the Indian aggression in the last two matches. Keeping the momentum Irrespective of early losses, the Indians have maintained the momentum. The rotation of the strike has been brilliant and the bigger blows have been decisive. Sri Lanka has been forced to search for answers. The problems for Lanka are compounded when a quality player of spin such as Gautam Gambhir produces a long innings. He scores in front of the wicket, essays the inside-out lofted hits, and opens gaps with horizontal-bat strokes. The left-hander is running hot. Gambhir later spoke about carrying his 2008 form to 2009 as well. “It was a very special innings for me. The Sri Lankans have been a tough side to beat at home. Now I want to take the momentum into the New Zealand tour as well,” he said. Gambhir spoke about coping with Muralitharan and Mendis. “Going by how well Muralitharan and Mendis bowled against India in the last series, it was important to handle them well. The way Sehwag and Yuvraj played them in the third game was incredible. In the last match, Dhoni came in at No. 3 and I knew that I would not have to bother about the run-rate.” Reading Mendis He said the Indians were reading Mendis better. “When you play someone like Mendis you need a little bit of time to adjust. Now we have had a good look at what he does and what he doesn’t do,” he said. The left-hander added he felt more relaxed in the middle. “Once you know one or two failures are not going to make a difference to your place in the side, you feel a lot more confident,” he said. India was seeking a 5-0 series triumph, he said. “It is good to be a part of a side that makes history,” he added. Meanwhile, some members of the Indian team had a practice session on Friday. Sachin Tendulkar was in the thick of things, interacting with the younger bunch. India has now moved to No. 2 in the rankings and coach Gary Kirsten said the aim was to become the No. 1 side in ODI cricket by the end of 2009. So far, things have worked like magic for India.

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Sri Lanka omit Jayawardene, Sangakkara for Twenty20 game, Dilshan to lead Skipper Mahela Jayawardene and vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara were left out of Sri Lanka's 15-man squad on Tuesday for the Twenty20 match against India next week. More... Sri Lanka omit Jayawardene, Sangakkara for Twenty20 game Wed 04 Feb, 07:45 AM Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been included in the squad for the Twenty20 international against India after an absence of nearly a year due to a knee injury. The selectors, however, have rested important players from the match on February 10, including captain Mahela Jayawardene, vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara and bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Nuwan Kulasekara. Selection committee sources said the players were being rested from the first Twenty20 international in the country keeping in mind the team's hectic schedule this year. Tillakaratne Dilshan will captain the side and will have Chamara Kapugedera as his deputy. Sri Lanka are scheduled to host Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Pakistan in 2009, a year in which they also play the World Twenty20 in England in June, and the Champions Trophy in September-October. Among the players in the 15-member squad is 35-year-old Indika de Saram. Saram, a wicketkeeper-batsman who played a few games for Sri Lanka between 1999 and 2001, had complained to the sports minister about his exclusion from the squad for the Twenty20 tournament in Canada last October despite his impressive showing in local competitions. Sri Lanka Twenty20 squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva, Indika de Saram, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Farveez Maharoof, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Malinga Bandara, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Mahela Udawatte, Thilan Thushara.

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i so wish tendlya play in this game.. but i lost all hope that he will ever play a twenty20 for India' date=' after seeing him sit during that MCG 2020 last year[/quote'] To be honest, we have a swashbuckling T20 team and there is no need for us to break this team chemistry. Tendulkar can help other Indians (Mumbai Indians) win the T20 title :winky:
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Injury not serious: Dhoni More... Injury not serious: Dhoni Special Correspondent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dhoni pleased with Jadeja’s effort Skipper says Balaji bowled well overall -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colombo: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who opted for a runner in the final stages of his innings, said the injury was not serious. “It’s not the knee but the tendon behind the knee. I think I am okay,” he said here on Sunday. Talking about the last match of the series, he said, “It is important to win the series whether you win the last match or not. At the same time you should not miss an opportunity to give a chance to players who have not played so far.” Testing bench strength “The objective is to let them have a feel of international cricket. If they sit in the dressing room, it won’t help. It was a chance for us to test our bench strength,” the Indian skipper added. On comeback man L. Balaji’s bowling, he said, “The situation was tough when Bala (Balaji) was bowling. He was bowling one change and there wasn’t much help from the wicket. But I think he bowled well overall.” Dhoni was pleased with new boy Ravindra Jadeja’s effort. “Jadeja batted well and this is a good sign. Overall we need to groom players and that is a continual process.” Team work Dwelling on India’s series triumph, he said, “There is no secret behind our success, everybody is contributing at the right time and that is what is helping us. We do not rely on just one individual.” He said the Indians lost too many wickets up front in the last game. “We lost a few wickets in the middle overs as well. It is tough to ask the tailenders to come and score some 150-odd runs in 20 overs.” Dhoni said Sachin Tendulkar was rested in the last two games to give others an opportunity. Speaking about Man-of-the-Series Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni said, “He is a very talented batsman and deserves his place in the Test side. One more plus point is his bowling. He is a brilliant fielder too.” Playing to a plan Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene said there were a few positives for his side from the last game. “We played to our plan batting first. Sanath (Jayasuriya) and Dilshan(Tillekeratne) gave us a really good start and from there onwards we created a platform on which we could accelerate. We managed to get 300 plus runs which is always a tough score to chase. The Lankan bowlers finally delivered. “They were going for their shots so we managed to create opportunities and held onto the catches.” Jayawardene revealed the team had been discussing the reasons for the earlier defeats. “Credit should also go to the Indians for the manner in which they played the third and fourth ODIs. Overall, we did not play to our potential in the series. Also, the fielding wasn’t up to scratch.” The Sri Lankan skipper spoke about the Indian batting strength. “They have a long and good batting line-up. They also been playing consistent cricket.” Coach blames batsmen The team’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, disagreed with the chief of the selection panel, Ashantha de Mel, that the Lankan fielding standards had fallen. He blamed the middle-order for the defeat in the series.

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