31 January,2009 07:20 AM IST | | Trevor Chesterfield
Big game: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Sachin Tendulkar during a training session at the
Decision over batting powerplays, shuffling of the top order and a weather threat will all contribute in adding a fun element in today's India vs Sri Lanka at Colombo
R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday
PIC/AFP
Guessing games can become a dangerous occupation when it comes to player injuries, selection policies and uncertain weather patterns.
Also, cricket's latest buzz phrase 'batting powerplay' may force India to rotate the top-order of the side that beat Sri Lanka easily enough in Dambulla in the opening midweek game of the series.
This has nothing at all to do with Muttiah Muralitharan surpassing Wasim Akram's haul of 502 ODI wickets. Sri Lanka have a game to win and level the series. Records can wait.
Gary Kirsten, India's coach was pragmatic in his view of the game. "What we are looking for now is consistency in our performances," Kirsten admitted at Premadasa Stadium yesterday.
u00a0"There are four games ahead of us on this tour and the need to adjust to the team's requirements is important."
Sehwag's back niggle sidelined him from the Dambulla game and at least gave Rohit Sharma a chance to show what he can do, for when India took the batting powerplay, it was Sharma who set up the pattern it was going to take. Ajantha Mendis was forced into an error-riddled over in his second spell as he plundered a well-executed cover drive which bemused the bowler.u00a0
SA example
With batting powerplays setting a new trend at ODI level when chasing down targets, the key is when to introduce it. This is more noticeable with teams such as South Africa in their series in Australia.
Yet, in the last game of the tour against Australia at Perth, they set the pace in the first innings of that game and did well enough late in the innings to stabilise the total, and what is more, with a team carrying a couple of ODI debutants.u00a0
As India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has pointed out, the genuine secret is knowing when to employ that batting powerplay. Mahela Jayawardene felt he had judged it right.
But the loss of two wickets in the five-over spell undid the planning.
One area of concern though, that cannot also be controlled is the weather.
Thundershowers have returned to the capital after six weeks and it is where games can be affected and a Duckworth/Lewis formula used. Then it could become genuine fun.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
