The all important match begins tomorrow - for the first time in more than two decades India have a chance to become the number one Test team in the world.
India lead the three match series against Sri Lanka 1-0; thanks to their bombastic 144-run win in the second match at Kanpur India almost overtook Lanka for the second spot in the ICC rankings. A 2-0 win would ensure India overtaking South Africa for the top spot. A Test win against Sri Lanka is easier said than done but Mahendra Singh Dhoni is confident that India have what it takes to secure the #1 position. Dhoni advised his men to play their natural game and forget about the rankings.
"It will be an added responsibility," Dhoni said. "Becoming the number one side is not important, we've got to maintain our performance level."
Opener Gautam Gambhir, who scored a big hundred in the second Test is out of the team for the final match. It is certainly a bit of a setback for India as the 200+ opening stand between Gambhir and Sehwag in the previous match directly accounted for the win. Murali Vijay has been called in to replace Gambhir and it remains to be seen the batsman can replicate Gambhir's performance. Shanthakumaran Sreesanth's comeback is a big bonus for India, and along with Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Mishra/Ojha the bowling lineup seems strong.
On the other hand Sri Lanka will hope to break their 14-year jinx and win a Test match on Indian soil. Muttiah Muralitharan has not performed well in the past two matches, but the spin legend blamed the batsman-friendly pitches in both matches. "We got the worst bowling conditions in the last two Tests," Muralitharan said. "We didn't have the bowlers, that was one of the factors." Captain Sangakkara added, "We have still got a lot to achieve in Mumbai. Whether we can win the series or not, we can still equal the series and finish the series 1-1. That is a great motivation for us."
SUDEEP SINGH
PGDM III SEM
SEC-B
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