Sehwag in charge, India hope to regain lead at Barabati

Tapan Mohanta

Cuttack, Dec 20 (PTI) With their charismatic captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni serving a two-match ban, the Indian
cricket team under stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag will have
to pull out all the stops to regain their lead when they lock
horns with Sri Lankan in the third one-dayer here Monday.

As if poor fielding and bowling were not bad enough, the
home side received a rude jolt when their inspirational
skipper and last match centurion Dhoni was handed a two-match
ban for the team's slow-over rate in the second ODI in the
western Indian city of Nagpur.
To add to India's woes, Yuvraj, who missed the first two
games due to a finger injury and flu, still remains doubtful
even though he has been retained in the 15-member squad.
In Dhoni's absence, Tamil Nadu keeper-batsman Dinesh
Karthik has been drafted into the side to do the duties behind
the stumps, while S Sreesanth, who is recovering from swine
flu, has been replaced with Ishant Sharma.
Not that Sri Lanka didn't have their share of injuries.
All-rounder Angelo Mathews, who braved pain to guide the
side to a series-equalling three-wicket win in Nagpur,
strained the right quadricep muscle in Nagpur and has returned
home.
Earlier the visitors had lost champion spinner Muttiah
Muralitharan and paceman Dilhara Fernando to finger injuries.
With the series locked at 1-1, the result of Monday's
day and night affair will be crucial in the context of the
outcome of the series.

Under Sehwag, who has lead India in five ODIs, the hosts
will first have to plug the loopholes in their bowling and
fielding departments apart from capitalising on its main
strength -- batting -- if they are to seize the initiative in
the five-match series.
India's fortune often depends on the start they get and
hence a lot would depend on how Sehwag himself fares, along
side veteran Sachin Tendulkar.
India lost both Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir early in
Nagpur and despite Dhoni's century, could not post a total
that was beyond their opponents.
"We did not get a good start. We got some partnerships
going but also lost wickets regularly," Dhoni had rued after
the match.
Fielding, both catching and ground fielding, has been
another area of concern for the team and Dhoni did not try to
defend his butter-finger teammates either.
"We are also not the best fielding side in the world. We
need to score 20 more runs to make up for the fielding
lapses," Dhoni said.
The Sri Lankans, meanwhile, will be a confident lot after
the Nagpur win.
The visitors will take heart from the fact that in the
two matches played so far, their batting has been outstanding
and will hope that it would come good Monday as well.
Opener Tillakratne Dilshan, in particular, has been the
show-stopper for the Lankans with two back-to-back centuries.
He not only set the platorm for the visitors'
three-wicket win in Nagpur with a scintillating 113-ball 123
but very nearly pulled off a stunner in the high-scoring
opener in Rajkot, which the Lankans lost by three runs.
Chasing a mammoth 415 for victory, Dilshan struck a
scintillating 160 off 124 balls to take Sri Lanka inches close
to a sensational win.
Apart from Dilshan, skipper Kumar Sangakkara and opener
Upul Tharanga also looked in good touch.
However, just like India, the Lankans too have a problem
or two in their inexperienced bowling and fielding
departments. PTI TAP