A "dress rehearsal" of sorts for likely finalists India and Sri Lanka is on the cards on Thursday in their Asia Cup Super Fours game here. It could well have been so for certain but India did themselves no favours by slumping to a huge defeat at Pakistan’s hands here on Wednesday and with the National Stadium pitches showing signs of slowing down, they will be tested in the penultimate match of the semi-final league.
India’s batting may not have shown many cracks so far but against Muttiah Muralitharan and the relatively unknown Ajanta Mendis, the going will not be easy. The opposition’s quality is obviously higher and the Indians must be prepared to work the ball around rather than look for the big hits. It’s no secret that batting might has carried the two teams and it could well be time for the focus to shift to the bowlers. The eight-wicket defeat at Pakistan’s hands served to emphatically underline that fact for Dhoni.
It will be interesting to see how the new ball bowlers shape up to Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya. Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar look jaded. With Irfan Pathan just coming in after missing out the earlier games, it may not be easy for him to settle into a rhythm straightaway to the openers who have been in sparkling form. Resting R.P. Singh against Pakistan was a wise move. He has looked India’s best bowler in the tournament and it is important to keep him fresh.
As a fielding unit, the Lankans have been impressive. Jayawardene did agree playing the first two games in Lahore was demanding on the body and conditions here have actually helped the team get their act together and the outfielding has also got better. The Indians have also run well between the wickets and how well they can continue doing it against a more athletic side will form an intriguing sub plot.
Courtesy : www.asianage.com
India’s batting may not have shown many cracks so far but against Muttiah Muralitharan and the relatively unknown Ajanta Mendis, the going will not be easy. The opposition’s quality is obviously higher and the Indians must be prepared to work the ball around rather than look for the big hits. It’s no secret that batting might has carried the two teams and it could well be time for the focus to shift to the bowlers. The eight-wicket defeat at Pakistan’s hands served to emphatically underline that fact for Dhoni.
It will be interesting to see how the new ball bowlers shape up to Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya. Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar look jaded. With Irfan Pathan just coming in after missing out the earlier games, it may not be easy for him to settle into a rhythm straightaway to the openers who have been in sparkling form. Resting R.P. Singh against Pakistan was a wise move. He has looked India’s best bowler in the tournament and it is important to keep him fresh.
As a fielding unit, the Lankans have been impressive. Jayawardene did agree playing the first two games in Lahore was demanding on the body and conditions here have actually helped the team get their act together and the outfielding has also got better. The Indians have also run well between the wickets and how well they can continue doing it against a more athletic side will form an intriguing sub plot.
Courtesy : www.asianage.com