A new season of one-day cricket on the subcontinent kicks off on Saturday in Dambulla, a market town surrounded by some of Sri Lanka's most ancient heritage sites. But while the idyllic lakeside setting harks back to the past, drawing in tourists by the thousand each year, the tournament opener provides a fascinating glimpse of the future, as India try to plug enormous holes in their top order and Sri Lanka experiment with a new opening partner for Sanath Jayasuriya.
The unavailability of Sachin Tendulkar (elbow injury) for the entire tournament and Sourav Ganguly, at least for the first two games after his ICC match ban was reduced from six to four games after much legal huffing and puffing, leaves India in new territory, as they will be shorn of 23,587 ODI runs and 618 caps'-worth of experience. India have rarely missed both at the same time in the last ten years and their absence has triggered animated debate as to the likely shape of the new top order.
The safe money is being put on VVS Laxman jumping up the order to partner Virender Sehwag. This is the entirely sensible and boring option that will balance the top six. But there are still many secretly hoping that the younger and longer curls of MS Dhoni accompany Sehwag to the middle. It would be a high-risk but potent alliance that would have the potential for creating major headaches for Marvan Atapattu, who will be missing Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa, his most experienced pace bowlers.
While the ball is hard in the first 15 overs, India have their best chance of stamping their authority on the game. The Sri Lankan injuries mean that the pace attack now has a fragile look about it: Lasith Malinga is exciting and unusual with his round-arm action, but far from polished after just four matches; Farveez Maharoof is struggling to find his best bowling form; Dilhara Fernando is under pressure after a long layoff; and Dilhara Lokuhettige, the new allrounder, is untested.
In such circumstances, playing Dhoni - the one batsman to click into form on the tour thus far - might be a gamble worth taking. But the old hands who follow India around the world with their laptops, the people who decode the team's poker-faced press conference sound-bites for a living, say Dhoni is likely to appear in the middle order with Rahul Dravid, the new captain, at No. 3 and Mohammad Kaif at No 4. Yuvraj Singh's position at No. 3 in both practice games is considered a red herring - although Greg Chappell has mentioned 'flexibility' so many times this week that we should mentally prepare ourselves for the unexpected.
India are also set to give an international lifeline to Jai Prakash Yadav, a 30-year-old seam bowling allrounder who played the last of his two ODIs against West Indies in 2002. He disappeared for a couple of years but strong performances in the 2004-05 domestic season have given him hope of a second coming. With Ganguly set to return for India's third game next week, he may need to make an impression fast.
The Dambulla pitch started its international life in 2001 as a batsmen's hellhole; the ball dancing around for the pace bowlers and spinners. But in the years since the pitch has bedded down and runs flowed last evening when an Atapattu XI tussled with a Jayawardene XI. However, there is enough help for the seamers to persuade both team's to play three frontline quicks. India will have to choose between Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble once again.
Sri Lanka, too, have been giving their opening combination some deep thought. Tom Moody, their new coach, has made it clear that the time has come for more stability at the top. In the past 17 months Jayasuriya has had five different partners. But Sri Lanka believe that may have unearthed the answer, Upul Tharanga, a wispy left-hander blessed with sweet timing and an array of strokes. His classy 35 in the practice match shone with potential and he is certain to play.
The middle order has a familiar feel with Atapattu, Sangakkara and Jayawardene ensconced in their normal positions. Tillakaratne Dilshan's perky batting during the Test series against West Indies should be enough for him to get the nod over Russel Arnold, who has been pushing hard for a recall with stacks of runs for the A team. Upul Chandana will then occupy the pivotal No 7 position with Dilhara Lokuhettige set for debut after some lusty blows last night and a mean spell of seamers. Sri Lanka are desperate to unearth a seam bowling allrounder and he is the latest to be tried.
With Muttiah Muralitharan, back to full fitness and good form during the West Indies series, and Malinga already pencilled in then Fernando and Farveez Maharoof will sweat over the final place. Fernando's greater cutting edge with the ball and reputation as a wicket-taker may put his nose in front, but it's a close-run contest because Maharoof, in his short career, has shown and cool head under a pressure and Atapattu needs strong minds without Vaas and Zoysa. Maharoof also offers more with the bat.
mmja
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maray khyal main india kay chance sri lanka say ziada hain kiyn kay srl nay west indies jasi kamzor team say phas kar match jetay haini think inda 65 and srl 35 hain match start 29,12:30 pak time and 1:00 ind time.
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Jayasuriya steers Sri Lanka past India
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
July 30, 2005
Sri Lanka 206 for 7 (Jayasuriya 43*) beat India 205 for 9 (Dravid 54, Muralitharan 3-33) by 3 wickets Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary How they were out
Rahul Dravid, the bedrock of dependability on which this Indian team is built, pulled all stops in his first match as captain in this new season, scoring a fighting half-century and then pressing hard on the field with all attacking instincts, but still ended up on the losing side. India scored only 205, and it was simply not enough to deny Sri Lanka victory, by three wickets, playing at home at the Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka's batsmen made heavy weather of the run chase, losing wickets at regular intervals against some disciplined Indian bowling. Dravid realized early on that he would not win this match by restricting the Sri Lankans, and gave his front-line bowlers - Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan - long first spells, and it paid dividends. Pathan was particularly sharp, pitching the ball just outside the off and swinging it in, and struck first, removing Kumar Sangakkara, opening the batting in place of the injured Sanath Jayasuriya, with a curling delivery that rapped the pads in front of the stumps (19 for 1).
Two quick wickets - Marvan Atapattu (29) brilliantly run out by Suresh Raina and Mahela Jayawardene bowled by Zaheer - put the skids on Sri Lanka at 60 for 3. This brought Russel Arnold and Tillakaratne Dilshan together, and though they fumbled, groped, played and missed, a stand of 44 runs pushed the score past the 100-mark. Dilshan showed plenty of promise, playing two rasping cover drives, but threw it away just when the game was slipping out of India's hands. He played a big sweep to Harbhajan Singh, who had been operating with a slip in place and plenty of fielders in the circle, and was lbw (104 for 4). As is so often the case, one wicket was quickly followed by another, when Arnold played all over a straight, flat one and lost his off stump (112 for 5).
India's belief that they were well and truly back in the game was blunted somewhat by Jayasuriya, whose dislocated shoulder had been popped back in place and heavily padded, and Dilhara Lokuhettige, who batted with gay abandon. He tonked the third ball he faced in international cricket - from Harbhajan - into the stands over long-on, and followed that up with a bludgeoned straight drive that gave mid-off no chance. A partnership of 28 in quick time forced Dravid to turn to Pathan, and again the move paid off. Lokuhettige, who had made 21 from just 20 balls, dragged one back onto his stumps (140 for 6).
Jayasuriya, famous for pulverizing attacks at the top of the order, dug deep into his rich pool of experience, kept his head amidst some frenetic batting from the lower order, and steered Sri Lanka home with an ice-cool 43 not out. Farveez Maharoof played his part admirably, scoring an unbeaten 23 at No. 9.
But it was in the first 50 overs, when they batted after winning the toss, that India lost the game. Even at Dambulla, 205 is a score you will struggle to defend. India began badly, losing Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Dhoni in quick time, both bowled playing ambitious shots against the tight bowling of Farveez Maharoof and Lokuhettige. Soon after there was more trouble as Yuvraj Singh's tortured stay at the crease ended when a mis-hit pull shot bobbed to mid-on (44 for 3).
India were in deep trouble before Muttiah Muralitharan had even gotten his hands on the ball, and Mohammad Kaif remedied that by presenting him with a catch at mid-on off Dilhara Fernando (63 for 4). Raina was set up and shot down by Muralitharan, who crowded the batsman with fielders and then sent down a perfect doosra, fast and flat, trapping him in front for a first-ball duck (64 for 5).
All along Dravid was his reliable self, watching the ball carefully, mixing abundant caution with watchful opportunism, picking up runs only when the risk of being dismissed was minimal. He compiled 54, and was well on the way to saving India's blushes when a gently floated legbreak from Chandana slipped past his pads and bowled him round the legs (122 for 6).
Once Dravid was accounted for, only a fighting innings of 38 from Venugopala Rao, and some lusty tail-end hitting, managed to push the Indian total to 205. That, as later events would show, was too few to play with.
How they were out
India
Virender Sehwag b Maharoof 14 (17 for 1) Played down the wrong line to one that straightened
Mahendra Singh Dhoni b Lokuhettige 2 (22 for 2) Played all over a full delivery angling in
Yuvraj Singh c Tharanga b Lokuhettige 12 (44 for 3) Mis-hit a pull off the front foot to mid-on
Mohammad Kaif c Muralitharan b Fernando 8 (63 for 4) Patted a ball straight to mid-on
Suresh Raina lbw b Muralitharan 0 (64 for 5) Trapped in front by a perfectly pitched doosra
Rahul Dravid b Chandana 54 (122 for 6) Bowled round the legs by a floating legbreak
Irfan Pathan c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 21 (159 for 7) Swung to the fielder in the deep on the leg side
Venugopala Rao c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 38 (159 for 8) Smart catch by the keeper to a thick edge attempting to cut
Zaheer Khan run out (Sangakkara) 20 (202 for 9) Caught napping attempting a single by an alert keeper
Sri Lanka
Kumar Sangakkara lbw b Pathan 14 (19 for 1) Trapped in front by a curling indipper
Marvan Atapattu run out (Raina) 29 (55 for 2) Athletic fielding and direct hit from square-leg
Mahela Jayawardene b Zaheer 15 (60 for 3) Bowled through the gate by an inswinger
Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw b Harbhajan 17 (104 for 4) Swept and missed
Russel Arnold b Harbhajan 22 (112 for 5) Missed a fast, straight one
Dilhara Lokuhettige b Psthan 21 (140 for 6) Dragged a wide one onto his stumps.
Upul Chandana c Dhoni b Zaheer 11 (172 for 7) Ambitious swat at a ball outside off resulted in an outside edge
In a mirror image of the first game of the Indian Oil Cup, India made heavy weather of chasing a modest total under lights at the Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla. West Indies, after choosing to bat, made a complete mess of things, and ended up with 178, a total that India were able to overhaul with 14 overs to spare and six wickets in hand.
Bennett King, the West Indian coach, must be tearing his hair out at the performance of his batsmen. This depleted, second-string line-up, has given fans little room for hope. Their ineptness with the bat, followed up by an erratic performance in the field ensured that India picked up their first win in this tournament, albeit after a few scares, and the customary crisis knock from Rahul Dravid.
Virender Sehwag failed once more, being caught down the leg side with just 3 on the board. Suresh Raina, who made a first-ball duck on his debut against Sri Lanka yesterday, was given the opportunity to make amends, and sent in to bat at No. 3. He began nervously, surviving a loud shout for lbw first up, and then being dropped at cover point by Ricardo Powell, who appeared to be unsighted by the lights.
After those nervy moments Raina settled down well and made the most of the loose deliveries that were served up to him. Darren Powell was guilty of spearing the ball into the pads and Raina repeatedly picked him off over midwicket with wristy flicks.
Kaif, who was quietly accumulating runs, made 24 before going after a wide one from Tino Best to Sylvester Joseph in the slips cordon (68 for 2). Raina was dropped one more time - by Denesh Ramdin off Best - but his luck soon ran out. After scoring 35, with the help of six boundaries, he cut a short one straight to Xavier Marshall at cover point.
Dravid was once again called on to steady the ship after India stuttered somewhat at 82 for 3. He began with stoic defense, knowing full well that Shivnarine Chanderpaul would have to turn to his part-time bowlers sooner or later. This did not stop him from putting away the bad balls though. Best suffered badly - first a coruscating cut shot sent the ball searing across the turf to the cover fence, then an uppercut flew to the third-man fence, and finally an orthodox cover drive pierced the infield. Yuvraj Singh, as keen on spending time at the wicket as scoring runs, partnered Dravid for 61 runs, and looked well set when he played all round a quick one from Jermaine Lawson and was bowled (143 for 4). In the end, though, the target was not large enough to create serious problems, and Dravid (52 not out) was able to guide his team home.
West Indies, though, had no batsmen to steer their innings. Narsingh Deonarine gave the batting some semblance of respectability, sticking around for 91 balls to score 41, but even that was a most apologetic effort. He declined to play attacking shots for the best part of his stay at the crease, not even looking to score, and instead blocked, padded up or left the ball alone.
The padding-up malaise set in early in the day. Runako Morton and Xavier Marshall, charged with opening the innings, were all at sea, playing and missing constantly against the new ball. Strangely both batsmen used their pads as a first line of defense and this proved risky, and unsurprisingly wickets began to fall at regular intervals.
Xavier Marshall (26) managed to sort out his problem of getting hit on the pad, and clipped a couple of boundaries beautifully through midwicket, putting some runs on the scoreboard, before Harbhajan Singh sent down a straight one that kissed the outside edge and landed in Dravid's lap at slip (32 for 3).
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Deonarine were left to consolidate, and they did so for a time. Suresh Raina picked up his first international wicket when Chanderpwaul swept at and missed one that did not turn (84 for 4). After Chanderpaul was dismissed there was little substance in the batting, and only some lusty hitting pushed the score to 178.
All along Deonarine (41) plugged away, holding one end up until the time came when he had to push the scoring rate. He was a touch unlucky to be given out lbw, sweeping and missing against Sehwag. The ball appeared to pitch marginally outside leg stump, but Daryl Harper upheld the appeal (140 for 7). Tino Best walked out at No. 9 and showed some of his more established counterparts how to get the job done. A sizzling pull and effortless lofted on-drive off Pathan raced to the fence, giving West Indies some much-needed momentum at the end of the innings. They need more than that, however, if they are to challenge teams in this series.
How they were out
West Indies
Runako Morton lbw b Pathan 1 (1 for 1) Trapped in front by an indipper
Sylvester Joseph run out (Raina/Dhoni) 3 (22 for 2) Well short of his crease attempting a non-existant second run
Marshall c Dravid b Harbhajan 26 (32 for 3) Edged a straight one to slip
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw b Raina 22 (84 for 4) Swept and missed a straight one
Ricardo Powell b Sehwag 1 (85 for 5) Bowled through the gate
Dwayne Smith c Dhoni b Harbhajan 20 (109 for 6) Tickled a straight one to the keeper.
Narsingh Deonarine lbw b Sehwag 41 (140 for 7) Given out sweeping one that pitched just outside leg
Denesh Ramdin b Nehra 24 (172 for 8) Bowled trying to make room and drive inside out
Darren Powell b Nehra 0 (172 for 9) Lost his off stump poking far from the ball
Tino Best c Raina b Khan 24 (178 for 10) Slogged one to long-on
India
Virender Sehwag c Ramdin b Lawson 2 (3 for 1) Glanced one down leg
Mohammad Kaif c Joseph b Best 24 (68 for 2) Guided a short ball to slip
Suresh Raina c Marshall b Smith 35 (82 for 3) Punched a ball to point
Yuvraj Singh b Lawson 28 (143 for 4) Played round a full, quick delivery.
mmja
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india kay pass or koi opnor nahi hai aglay match main shayed ganguly a gaye to phir woh open kar sakta hai maray khyal main srilanka ki wickets pay to sehwag or dhoni ka koi kaam nahin hai.indai kay pass ziada player 20,30 walay hain.
Bazigaar
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mmja said:
india kay pass or koi opnor nahi hai aglay match main shayed ganguly a gaye to phir woh open kar sakta hai maray khyal main srilanka ki wickets pay to sehwag or dhoni ka koi kaam nahin hai.indai kay pass ziada player 20,30 walay hain.
well, dhoni can open, shewag can open, kaif had opened before too, ganguly can open too, but i doubt he will...
on paper, india have stronger team then sirilanka, but they r not in forum at the moment...and i hope vaas comes back for next siri lanka match
dravid on the other hand...is always rock solid 
