Memories of the horrific attack on Mumbai kept coming back. India were coasting to a fifth straight victory over England at the Barabati Stadium when news of indiscriminate shooting reached the media box. The effects were immediate as the day after 26/11, England cut short the seven-match one-day series.
Sri Lanka were victims of a terror attack in Lahore early this year and have been cagey about security, having got the last match relocated from Visakhapatnam to Nagpur. So, one could understand the stifling security at the venue on Sunday.
But, on the eve of the third match, both teams have reasons to feel insecure, albeit on the cricketing front. Plagued by injuries, Sri Lanka have lost key players while India would be without skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, serving a two-match ban. This is the first time he will miss a match since he became the captain.
The visitors lost Angelo Mathews for the rest of the series due to a quadriceps injury during his match-winning knock in Nagpur. The all-rounder is the latest to join Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando, who have already gone home leaving the bowling attack severely depleted.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara did put up a brave front by saying it was an opportunity for the youngsters to put their hands up, but Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag will be smacking their lips at the prospect of facing an inexperienced Suranga Lakmal first up if Lanka persist with the Nagpur combination and replace Mathews with an all-rounder. This would mean his replacement, Thissara Perera, would get a match straight up or the visitors could bring in Sanath Jayasuriya after dropping him in the last match.
{{/usCountry}}Skipper Kumar Sangakkara did put up a brave front by saying it was an opportunity for the youngsters to put their hands up, but Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag will be smacking their lips at the prospect of facing an inexperienced Suranga Lakmal first up if Lanka persist with the Nagpur combination and replace Mathews with an all-rounder. This would mean his replacement, Thissara Perera, would get a match straight up or the visitors could bring in Sanath Jayasuriya after dropping him in the last match.
{{/usCountry}}For India, Yuvraj Singh turned up for practice, which was optional, and looked to have recovered from the viral infection. He, however, did not join the fielding drills, leaving doubts over whether he had recovered from the finger injury he suffered during the T20 in Mohali. Stand-in skipper Sehwag too did not commit whether the left-hander would be playing.
If Yuvraj doesn’t play, India will miss out on experience in the middle and Lanka will be hoping they make Dhoni’s absence count. For Yuvraj to come in, Ravindra Jadeja or Virat Kohli will have to sit out.
Jadeja bowled well in the last two matches, particularly in Nagpur, when Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sangakkara were going hammer and tongs. Kohli contributed with a half-century in the last game. With the return of Ishant Sharma, who bowled at the nets, India have a problem of plenty.
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