Asia Cup 2008 - Super Four - India vs Sri Lanka
July 3rd, 2008
Asia Cup 2008, Super Four, Match 5
Monday, 3rd June 2008
India v Sri Lanka
This is a do or die match for India. They need to win this won or else their fate will fall in hands of Bangladesh. A loss here and Pakistan could run away with the second spot in the final with just a moderately big win over Bangladesh.
But the Indian team would do well not to think about this and concentrate on the game at hand. They could be further aided if Sri Lanka decide to rest some of their key players. India need to show some resilience while fielding and bowling and would do better with Ojha coming in place of Chawla. Dhoni might look to bowl first, as his batsmen have shown good form but India would be better served not trying this against Sri Lanka who have a little better bowling unit then others.
People have gone on criticizing the pitches but the fact is that the bowlers have made the pitches look even worse. Would the likes of Brett Lee, Zaheer Khan, Dale Steyn etc been the same here? In fact Vaas has bowled quite well. Others bowlers lack the experience and that’s why they have been taken to the cleaners. It is not about the runs they have conceded but the manner in which they have bowled.
Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar have a some experience and must take the responsibility on their shoulders and the fielders need to show a bit more commitment.
Look Out For
Virender Sehwag – After seeing the bowling form of most bowlers even 325 runs don’t seem enough. India will need Sehwag to fire big if they are to get past that score against Sri Lanka.
Pragyan Ojha – He bowls with a lot of control and could bag some crucial wickets if he lures the batters with flight.
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Mahela Jayawardene – He hasn’t had much to do in this tournament thus far but will look to be in good form ahead of Sunday’s final.
Dilhara Fernando – He has some pace up his sleeve and probably has the most well disguised slower ball in the world. He would like to prove his critics wrong and cement a place in the side.
Probable starters:
India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh (VC), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C) (WK), Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh
Sri Lanka: Mahela Udawatte, Kumar Sangakkara (WK), Mahela Jayawardene (C), Tillakratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara
Verdict: India have a tough one here but the need of the hour might just motivate them to pull this one off.
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Tags: asia cup, india, Match, Pakistan, review, vsPosted in Cricket News |