Amay Khurasia may open

Having lost their opening encounter meekly, India will have their task cut out when they meet a confident Sri Lanka on Sunday in their second match of the triseries in Colombo.

India have named the same 13 for Sunday's match though coach John Wright indicated that a change or two is likely in the line-up.

The Sri Lankan side may not see any change but they may choose to strengthen their batting by including Kumar Sangakkara.

The Indian bowlers tried to make most of the pitch and stuck to a neat line and length in the 84-run loss to New Zealand on Friday, but it is the batting which flopped.

Without Sachin Tendulkar to fall back upon, the Indian batting looked fragile. The team management may juggle with the second opener's position as Yuvraj Singh disappointed, though he was a trifle unlucky to have been given out lbw, and may consider the dashing Amay Khurasia for the job on Sunday.

It is not clear whether Wright's preference for Yuvraj Singh over Khurasia boiled down to the former's superior fielding skills and ability to bowl. In fact, Yuvraj Singh was given his full quota of 10 overs in the match.

Sourav Ganguly also appeared shaky during his short stint at the crease and gifted away his wicket. Ganguly must realise the enormous responsibility he shoulders, being the leader and the most experienced player in the side.

The way the series has gone so far, it is important to win the toss and bat first, as the slow pitch deteriorates further under night-lights, making the task of chasing anything beyond 200 runs a herculean one.

But it should not be reduced to just winning of the toss and the organisers must realise this and try and make the pitch more suitable for 100 overs in each match as there is still a lot to be played on these pitches after the controversial Dambulla stadium was ruled out for hosting any of the scheduled matches.

Ganguly, who can be very dangerous for the opposition on any kind of pitch, will have to bridge the gap between potential and performance if India is to outsmart the hosts.

His 70 off 58 balls including five huge sixes in a practice match against a second string Sri Lankan side had raised hopes of a comeback after a poor run of form, interrupted by a couple of hesitant knocks in Zimbabwe, but he would have to deliver the goods when it really matters.

The skipper must be feeling the additional pressure of being the only team that is yet to open its account in the tournament. He said after Friday night's match that they still have five matches to make good for the first match loss. If a new beginning is to be made, it will have to start with Sunday's match.

Sri Lanka, who started their campaign on a winning note -- defeating New Zealand by 16 runs, are undoubtedly the more superior of the other two sides with depth both in batting and bowling and start on their home ground as obvious favourites.

The hosts, so used to characteristic explosive starts from Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, may find it diffcult to open up on the slow pitch as was evident when the skipper took 108 balls to get his 80 runs in the match against New Zealand.

But they have a battery of world-class bowlers including left-arm paceman Chaminda Vaas and off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who are capable of striking when most required.

They would certainly go for the kill to take a clear lead in the round robin league, leaving India and New Zealand to fight for a place in the final, to be played here on August 5.

India's bowling will revolve around left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan and off-spin sensation Harbhajan Singh, and the team management may opt for a second spinner by inducting Rahul Sanghvi in the final eleven.

Teams (from):
Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Sangakkara, Russel Arnold, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Dulip Liyanage, Avishka Gunawardena, Chamara Silva, Suresh Perera, Dilhara Fernando and Dinusha Fernando.

India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Amay Khurasia, V V S Laxman, R S Sodhi, Sameer Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Hemang Badani, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Sanghvi.

Mail Cricket Editor