Out to avenge 2011 World Cup defeat

Elmo Rodrigopulle Reporting from Australia

A brand new beginning. That will be the instructions new skipper Mahela Jayawardena will give his cricketing troops when they march on to the WACA Ground in Perth to face India in their first outing in the Commonwealth Bank tri series under lights today. The Lankan cricketers must treat their recent debacles as bad dreams, forget it and make amends by playing as one strike force and getting back their winning ways that they surprisingly lost in the recent past.

With Jayawardena there to lead them from the front and show them how with his exemplary leadership, and if the players rally round him and give of their best, there is no reason why the Lankans should not engrave their names on the Commonwealth Bank Trophy as the first winners.

Best of spirits

From what we can gather, the squad is thinking and moving around in the best of spirits and that is an indication that success is around the corner. Players down for selection are all fit and well and the selectors will have a time in picking the hit squad of eleven.

The selectors on tour coach Graham Ford, Captain Mahela Jayawardena and Asantha de Mel have done the necessary permutations and according to Chairman of selectors and selector on tour Asantha de Mel will pick the best available and if the team believes in themselves and plays to their capabilities, then that all important first win that will inspire them is on the cards. De Mel said: ‘The team is determined to play at their best.

The playing eleven will be picked tonight (Tuesday) or after a look at the wicket in the morning.

We will pick the best and it is left to the players to take it from there and do their best.

Pace and bounce

The WACA wicket is generally known for its pace and bounce. But with this type of cricket being a different ball game, it would be interesting to watch what type of wicket the curator has prepared for this clash.

In the one-day game, winning the toss and batting first will certainly be an advantage.

If the Lankan batsmen could put up a formidable score, then they can put pressure on the Indian batsmen and lure them to their demise like did the Australians. In this aspect openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharnga must lay the platform for the batsmen following of the calibre of Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Jayawardena, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews to consolidate and put up a formidable score.

Opening spell

If this could be achieved, it will inspire the bowlers especially Lasith Malinga who can be deadly in his opening spell to rock the Indian batting.

The bowlers must remember to bowl wicket to wicket and to the field.

In this style of cricket, it is essential that the fielding be tops.

Dropped catches, misfields, missed run outs should not happen. As for the Indians they have been having a very bad run in recent times. True they lost their first overs reduced game to Australia.

But the Lankans must remember that being World Champions they have pride to protect and will come hard to erase that defeat and get back to winning ways.

The Indians have some wonderful ball players for this style of game.

The cynosure of all eyes will undoubtedly be Sachin Tendulkar who will be searching for that elusive 100th 100. Will the Lankans allow him to realize that dream?

The top half of the Indian batting has some explosive hitters in Tendulklar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It would be interesting to see whether India will play their ‘master blaster’ Virender Sehwag who did not face the Aussies.

The Indians have some good quick bowlers who can give them the vital early wickets in Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Zaher Khan. Spin will be in the hands of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

This game will be a battle between the two best teams in the one-day game.

Will India be allowed to give continuity to that World Cup final win, or will Sri Lanka avenge that defeat and prove to the world that they should have been the rightful World Cup champions 2011?

When the final ball is bowled it will tell. Perth, Tuesday