India aim to break jinx

Back after a two-match ban India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni prepares to catch a high ball during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final one-day international against Sri Lanka in New Delhi yesterday. Photo: AFP

It's dead-rubber time again. Since Mahendra Singh Dhoni became captain, India have won seven of the eight bilateral ODI series they have played. Keeping aside the series against England, Australia and West Indies - where last matches could not be played out - India have played four dead-rubbers and lost all four. With Dhoni coming back from his ban, India would today want to set that blip right in Delhi.
The visitors, though, will be playing for much more. They came here with the strongest Sri Lankan squad to have toured India. The final balance sheet will give them reasons aplenty to feel bitterly disappointed: they are yet to win a Test in the country, or an ODI series. What the balance sheet won't show is how well they managed despite a plethora of injuries to key players and how they could easily have been 2-0 up despite having to chase 415 and 302 in the first two matches. Having lost Muttiah Muralidaran, Angelo Mathews, Thilan Thushara and Chanaka Welegedara to injuries, this was not as bad an effort as the scoreline would suggest.
After the fourth ODI, Sangakkara said this was the most competitive they had ever been in India, and yet they came up short. Sangakkara will want to leave with good memories, a final stamp of competitiveness in Delhi, a good performance and not a whimper to remember the tour by.
With big-hitters all around him, and a bold decision that put him in Sanath Jayasuriya's spot at the top of the order, Upul Tharanga would have been under pressure coming into the series. If he was, he is yet to show it. With 295 runs at 73.75, he is behind only Tillakaratne Dilshan in terms of run-scoring. A definite contender for the man-of-the-series award if he can put in another strong show.
What Tharanga has been to Dilshan, Sachin Tendulkar has been to Virender Sehwag. For a second fiddle, 216 runs at 72 is not a bad job. Having rested for the tri-series in Bangladesh, Tendulkar will want to make the most of his last ODI innings in a while.
Dhoni was named in the squad for the final ODI, which should mean India have no intentions of resting him. His coming back should be the only change in the batting line-up, because India don't have any reserve batsmen. Harbhajan Singh could be rested, though, and this would be the best opportunity to give Sudeep Tyagi a debut.
Their opening problem solved, Sri Lanka are left looking for one more middle-order mainstay to go with Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Samaraweera and Jayasuriya have all disappointed there, and that will be the only major decision to make. Thissara Perera and Suranga Lakmal should retain their places, while Lasith Malinga will be under pressure to hold his.

TEAMS
INDIA (probable): Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Sudeep Tyagi, Ashish Nehra.
SRI LANKA (from): Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Thissara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal.