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.