11cricket.com

Colombo, Sep 13 (IANS) India would have to put behind their mauling Saturday at the hands of Sri Lanka when they face the hosts again in the final of the Compaq Cup tri-series cricket here Monday.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for the Indian team in the two matches here. They outclassed New Zealand in the first match for a final berth, only to be outplayed by hosts in their next One-day International (ODI) match.

The 139-run defeat Saturday was the worst India suffered in Sri Lanka. The loss also meant that India will have to wait to get to the top of ODI rankings that they achieved for a day after beating New Zealand.

The final, therefore, would be a test of character for Mahendra Singh Dhoni′s outfit who will now need to put up an inspiring performance if they are to stake claim to being a dominating force in the format.

The Indian team would be looking to summon their fighting prowess that saw them sew up a streak of five consecutive ODI series victories, including their last two against the island nation here.

Skipper Dhoni believes toss would be a crucial factor in the match.

“If you win it, you have 60 per cent chance of winning the match. Moreover, if you score 230-240, then you have a good chance as the bowlers will find it easier to bowl second,” Dhoni said on the eve of the match.

Much would depend on the performance of the Indian bowlers who gave contrasting performance in the first two matches. Dhoni, however, has defended his pace battery, saying it takes quite an effort to bowl in back-to-back matches.

Ashish Nehra’s form would be crucial for India as the conditions here suit his bowling.

The batsmen too will have to raise their game as they have, so far, struggled to come to terms with the two-paced wickets. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Suresh Raina are the only three to who have found their feet so far.

India batsmen would also have to come up with a plan to tackle Sri Lankan medium-pacer Angelo Mathews, who came up with a six-wicket haul Saturday.

Squads:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan/Abhishek Nayar, Harbhajan Singh, R.P. Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain and wicketkeeper), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga.

COLOMBO (AFP) – India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand hope to put in impressive performances in a tri-series starting here on Tuesday to boost confidence ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India side start as favourites despite missing injured opener Virender Sehwag and paceman Zaheer Khan, having beaten both New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their own backyards in their last one-day series.

India are seeking a hat-trick of wins in Sri Lanka after clinching a pair of bilateral five-match series in August 2008 and in February this year.

Each team will play two league matches before the top two qualify for the final on September 14. The hosts clash with New Zealand in Tuesday’s opening game.

Sri Lanka’s record-breaking Muttiah Muralitharan believes the series will help the teams prepare for the eight-nation Champions Trophy which opens in South Africa on September 22.

“The tri-series will be good preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy,” said the off-spinner who is the world’s leading wicket-taker in Tests (783) and one-day internationals (511).

“New Zealand have shown in the past few days how much more dangerous they are in the shorter version, winning both Twenty20 matches, and India have happy memories of Sri Lanka after two series wins here in the last 13 months.

“It will be a great test for the Sri Lankan team.”

Daniel Vettori′s New Zealanders salvaged some of their reputation when they stunned the hosts in two Twenty20 internationals last week after being whitewashed in the preceding two-Test series.

“The guys will take a lot of confidence from that,” Vettori said after his team′s Twenty20 success.

“They can take that into the one-dayers. For us, to make the final will be a great stepping stone for the Champions Trophy.”

Focus will be on Indian batsman Rahul Dravid and New Zealand paceman Shane Bond, returning to one-day sides after playing their last match in 2007.

Bond, 34, became eligible to play after severing links with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League, while Dravid, 36, was recalled ahead of India’s busy international schedule for his wealth of experience.

Vettori was impressed with Bond’s form in the Twenty20 matches in Colombo where the fast bowler bagged three crucial wickets.

“It’s great for him to start the way he has and I think he’ll get better and better,” said Vettori.

“He looks confident and when Shane is confident, he’s really a good bowler. I think we’ll see more of that as the one-day series goes on.”

Dravid got the selectors’ nod after a couple of younger batsmen failed to cope with short-pitched deliveries in the World Twenty20 in England in June.

He is only the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar in the current team to have completed 10,000 one-day runs.

India’s South African coach Gary Kirsten welcomed Dravid’s return.

“It’s good to have him back,” Kirsten said recently. “He is a very experienced player and adds massive value to the team. He is a natural performer.”

India will play New Zealand on Friday and take on Sri Lanka on Saturday in back-to-back matches.

LONDON (AFP) – England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his injured right knee on Tuesday and will miss the one-day series against Australia and September’s Champions Trophy.

Flintoff, who helped England regain the Ashes with victory in the final Test against Australia on Sunday, will miss Thursday’s one-day international in Ireland, the Twenty20 international series against Australia and the one-day series against Ricky Ponting’s team, as well as the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

“Andrew Flintoff will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his injured right knee on Tuesday. A further update on the outcome of the operation and the likely timescale for rehabilitation will be released in due course,” an ECB statement said on Sunday.

The Lancashire star had already announced that the final Ashes clash of the series would be his last Test appearance due to the constant strain on his knee problem.

England’s selectors have opted not to replace Flintoff at this stage in their squads for the Twenty20 and one-day series matches against Australia.

Jonathan Trott, who was last week named in England’s squad for the Twenty20 internationals, has been added to the squad for the Ireland match.