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Full-strength India raring to go
The Indian team was back for full nets on Friday. What was good to see was that the squad seemed to have gotten rid of the injury scares that hit them over the past week, reports Jaideep Ghosh.
The Indian team was back for full nets on Friday, in preparation for the Asia Cup final, to be played at the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
What was good to see was that the squad seemed to have gotten rid of the injury scares that hit them over the past week, and players were looking in good condition.
The nets at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground also saw VVS Laxman getting back to batting, beginning initially with some knocking on the side nets before going through with full session.
The side of his left pad had a noticeable additional patch, providing protection to the area which had caused him so much grief in the past two games.
He looked good and solid, as did Rahul Dravid, who had lost some momentum against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Zaheer Khan too looked steady, while Yuvraj Singh did not show any effects of the slight ankle sprain he suffered on Wednesday.
It is vital for the two to stay in form, as a lot would depend on them when they go in to bat in the final, considering that the opening partnerships for India here have not exactly set the stands on fire, and invariably the pressure comes on the middle order.
The Indians did a lot of work on the field as well, with focus being on running between the wickets and close-in fielding. The strike rate for run-out was good, which makes it more of a mystery as to why so many are missed in real play.
"The preparations are going on well," vice-captain Dravid told reporters. "We had a couple of days off and then a couple of days of practice. It's probably nice to see that everyone is available for selection. We should have a full quota to choose from on Sunday.
"We are looking forward to the game. It's a big final and it's always nice to play finals. The guys are really keen.
"(Laxman) looks good, he had a bit of hit in the nets today, was fielding and running around a bit. He's improving day by day and we still have another 48 hours for the game. He'll obviously get better and hopefully before the game starts, he should be there or thereabouts," he said.
"Sri Lanka are formidable in Sri Lanka," Dravid said about the prospects of beating their rivals. "They seem to do very well here, they know these conditions well but it's going to be a good challenge for us.
"But on the day, we believe if we play good cricket and play to our potential, we can make it a good game. A final is really a one-off, a question of who does well on that day.
"They've probably been playing better than us in the last two weeks, no doubt, but in a final it's anybody's game. We have a lot of match-winners and people who play well, so we look forward to firing at the right time."
