India Looking for 5th Consecutive final Victory

M.S. Dhoni (left) and Virender Sehwag display their
football skills at the Rangiri Dambulla International
 Stadium on Friday, the eve of their tri-series final against Sri Lanka

Dambulla, Aug. 27: This tri-series, if anything, has proved to be a deviation from the norm. The sub-continent has been the base for tall scores with batsmen often reducing the bowlers to mere spectators but the lead-up to the final has been totally different with the bowlers calling the shots here. Dambulla has come as a whiff of fresh air, with a hint of swing, seam and bounce making the contest more than even and interesting.

India clash with Sri Lanka in yet another tournament final, the second in as many months. The two sides have played each other so often in the recent past that strategies fall flat in the face. All the matches have been one-sided one way or the other and there are enough reasons to expect a similar route on Saturday.

M.S. Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara don’t require stressing the importance of a title triumph in the run-up to the World Cup. Batsmen will be tested and bowlers will have to gather discipline quickly to make use of the conditions. A good percentage of the Asia Cup final was decided by the spin of the coin.

Preserving wickets has been the key. Acceleration is best done in the middle overs when the spinners operate. Hitting through the line has not proved beneficial and the wait and watch approach looks the best possible solution unless you
answer to the name of Virender Sehwag. A lot will depend on how the inform Sehwag shapes up. If the opener can bat for a prolonged period then India should be in the drivers’ seat.

The pressure of a final means the team batting first will carry an advantage. Dhoni could be tempted into playing four seamers again and it will not be bad ploy against Lanka who are, however, capable of handling it better than New Zealand.