Bahutule among 12 for final Test

India and Sri Lanka prepared to go for the kill in the third and final cricket Test, starting in Colombo on Wednesday, by effecting some changes in their squads, with the hope that the wicket will help the slow bowlers later in the match.

While India named leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule in their 12, Sri Lanka opted for left-hand opening batsman Michael Vandort to strengthen their batting order.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly felt the pitch is a bit damp and said he would have preferred some grass to have been left on it. In his reckoning, the wicket is likely to offer some turn from the third day.

"Bahutule is a leg-spinner and can also bat a bit," Ganguly said, explaining his selection ahead left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi.

Clearly rattled by the seven-wicket loss that saw their 1-0 lead being squandered in Kandy, Sri Lanka also included off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera and fast bowler Duleep Liyanage in their 12 while leaving out Ruchira and Suresh Perera.

While Samaraweera's chances of playing on Wednesday depend on pitch conditions, Liyanage and Vandort are almost certain to play.

Home captain Sanath Jayasuriya had blamed his batsmen for their failure to capitalise on the 42-run first innings lead, after India inflicted a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat on them at Kandy, and the inclusion of Vandort is being seen as a step towards strengthening the batting line-up.

Vandort, who had scored a century in a three-day match against the Indians, is an opener and his inclusion will mean that either Marvan Atapattu or Kumar Sangakkara, both in fine form in the ongoing series, will bat at number six, thus giving more solidity to the middle order.

Samaraweera's inclusion can come only at the expense of veteran left-hander Hashan Tillekaratne. Tillekaratne, recalled to the national side after a long time, failed to deliver the goods in the first two Tests and may find himself out if the services of an additional spinner become necessary.

The Indian team had a practice session in the afternoon at the lush Sinhalese Sports Club that sports a wicket less grassy than the ones in the first two Tests at Galle and Kandy.

Ganguly, who blasted his way back to form with an unbeaten 98 to lead his side to a seven-wicket triumph in the Kandy Test, said the team is in a very positive frame of mind and will go all out to claim a rare series win abroad.

India's last series win on foreign soil came against Sri Lanka in 1993 on this same ground and Ganguly said his team is keen to repeat that performance.

The captain, however, warned his teammates against complacency. "If we are complacent, we are asking for trouble," Ganguly said after practice.

"We just want to play good cricket, take the match session by session," he said.

Ganguly admitted that some of the players in his team are not performing to the best of their ability but insisted that they need to be persisted with.

"Shiv Sundar Das is not playing at his best. But he has a lot of ability," he said about the opener, who has impressed with his technique and temperamanet but failed to get a big score on the tour.

The captain similarly defended Hemang Badani's presence in the team despite his continued bad run with the bat. "Yes, he has struggled a bit, but he needs a fair run. He has the potential and I hope he comes good here," Ganguly said.

The best thing to happen to India in the Kandy Test, apart from the victory of course, is the return to form of Ganguly, who played a convincing innings after a very long time.

Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, who has been the most successful campaigner for India on the tour, will once again be the key to India's batting.

Ganguly made a positive move by sending Dravid at number three and himself coming in at number four at Kandy and many thought it was crucial to India's chances. However, Ganguly, on Tuesday, refused to read too much into the decision.

"There is nothing in the batting order. What is more important is that we get runs and we got them in Kandy. Decisions like this (change in batting order) sometimes click, sometimes don't," he said.

Ganguly, however, said he is most likely to persist with the same batting order.

He refused to comment on the rejection of the team management's request for Ajit Agarkar as a replacement for Javagal Srinath, who was flown back after sustaining a fracture in his left hand in the first Test.

"It is up to the selectors. We made our request and they said no," Ganguly said.

The fast bowlers, Venkatesh Prasad and Zaheer Khan, did an admirable job in the Kandy Test and the captain was all praise for their efforts. The SSC ground has traditionally supported medium pacers and Prasad and Zaheer are looking forward to another good haul.

Jayasuriya sought to put behind the Kandy Test and said the team now requires to focus on the task ahead. "We shouldn't be putting too much pressure on ourselves. Not only the batsmen, but the entire team should be thinking positive," he said.

Jayasuriya's own performance will be vital to Sri Lanka's chances in the match. He has an awesome average against the Indians and the two Tests so far have seen that whenever he has failed his team has struggled. But he emphasised that it was the team, rather than any individual, which failed in Kandy.

"We didn't play well in the last Test, but that's all history," he said.

Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore felt there is no problem with the batsmen's technique and ability. "I think it's more a mindset. It was unfortunate that after getting a lead in the first innings, we found ourselves under pressure," he said.

Whatmore ruled out any defensive tactics by the Sri Lankans and said the team selection will be done with all intention of winning the match. "We have to contend with obstacles that come along. We have to jump across hurdles," he said.

Mail Cricket Editor