Dhoni leads India to opening win

Dambulla witnessed a strange game today. For the first time there were decent batting scores and more so an Indian team chased the highest target at the ground with relative ease.

Jayasuriya's hundred making him the oldest player to score an ODI hundred was in vain although he did win the man of the match award. This was perhaps in recognition of the fact that was it not his score then the Sri-Lankan's final score would have been even lower. In my preview blog I mentioned that Jayawardene was due a big score but I should have put Jayasuriya as well. Usually his hundreds lead to a Lankan win but today steady batting from India negated that.

Tendulkar's early dismassal was a harsh call from Dharmasena but I think one should allow him a leeway as he is an upcoming umpire. Perhaps Tendulkar's departure was a blessing in disguise as he looked somewhat out of touch and it brought Raina in. Gambir and Raina worked effortlessly well in pursuit of the target. I was somewhat disappointed with the way Gambir got out. It was a shot that never should have been played given that India were cruising and on another day a wicket like that could have led to a huge collapse.

Once Gambir and Raina left it was left to Yuvraj and Dhoni to finish the job and the partnership normally a reliable one was broken evenutally with Yuvraj succumbing to Maharoof. Dhoni was impressive again in the way he played the spinners. In the last ODI series in Sri-Lanka, he was instrumental then as well and his determination to win the battle against Murali and Mendis was again on show. His ability to play the ball late is certainly a gift although it remains to be seen whether he can do that on a more regular basis especially under lights which is when Mendis really shines in the ODI's.

1-0 to India and here's hoping to another win.

Sri-Lanka vs India Series- A preview

So finally after a bit of a break, the Indian team return to the International scene and line up against a Sri-Lankan side that blows hot and cold.

Touring Sri-Lanka again having played them less than a year ago is a little baffling. There were 5 one dayers then, and the same this time too. If the agenda was to fill the void left by the cancellation of the Pakistan tour, then it would have made sense for Sri-Lanka to tour India. Too much of one thing is not always good although it does provide another opportunity to see how much the Indians have learnt about Mendis.

The nucleus of the Indian team is pretty much the same. Harbhajan misses out and his experience will be a loss but its time for another spinner to shine and what better place to shine than in Sri-Lanka. With the World Cup in the sub-continent, it is imperative that this series is taken seriously. I am looking forward to seeing Ravindra Jadeja play, he is a player who seems to have a strong mental core, something needed in international cricket. Admittedly, I was unaware of his spin abilities until recently and it is always good to have extra options.

The batting will be tested again with Murali approaching Akram's record of 502 ODI wickets and Mendis determined to get there or there abouts in quicker time. The demolition of Pakistan in the last game by the Lankan team as a whole should serve as a warning about the dangers of taking this team lightly. For me the success from a batting point of view will once again depend on Yuvraj who really struggled here the last time round. Tendulkar should really be used sparingly in this series as the emphasis should be on the younger batsman like Raina, Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan.

I am in two minds as to whether Zaheer Khan should have been rested for this series so that he is injury and fatigue free for the series in New Zealand. Given our struggles there the last time and our quest to challenge at the top in the test arena, a fit Zaheer Khan would aid that cause immensely. The rest of the bowling will need to watch out for Jayawardene. Yes, he is horribly out of form at present, but as the saying goes "form is temporary, class is permanent". He is due a big innings soon.

Finally a word about the importance of the toss. Dhoni admitted this himself and it will be interesting to see if the toss also affects this series.

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I hope this is a place where many cricket enthuasists visit and share their perspective on the gentleman's game. Generally this blog will comment on Indian Cricket however everyone is welcome to air their views as long as it commands respect.