Past history and recent poor form will weigh heavily on Sri Lanka when they face an upbeat India in a three-Test series starting on Friday.
Sri Lanka have yet to win a Test in India from five previous trips and are in some disarray after they were thrashed 6-1 in a one-day series by India hardly three weeks ago.
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They will be without the 36-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya, their most-capped player who was axed following a shoulder injury and poor scores in the one-dayers, depriving captain Marvan Atapattu of his trusted opening partner.
Atapattu himself is less than 100 percent after a back strain ruled him out of the rain-hit three-day tour game where his batsmen collapsed to 171 for nine facing spin.
Off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, Test cricket's second highest wicket-taker, also looked subdued in the one-day series and skipped the last two games with a hamstring injury after taking only six wickets at 33.16 runs apiece.
The 33-year-old bowler, 32 wickets short of the 600-mark to emulate Australian leg spinner Shane Warne, will hope to be inspired playing at his wife's hometown.
GANGULY FACTOR
Although India have a formidable home record, Rahul Dravid and his players will need to keep focus after recent upheavals following the sacking of Sourav Ganguly, India's most successful Test captain.
Dravid, India's premier batsman, was appointed captain last month following Ganguly's poor batting form and a damaging row with coach Greg Chappell, which also saw his one-day exit.
Dravid marshalled a young side admirably against Sri Lanka and achieved a fighting 2-2 draw in the next one-day series against South Africa this week.
However, there could be some unease in the team after the selectors retained Ganguly for the Tests, dubbing the player with only 25 Test scalps a "batting all rounder".
Ganguly, 33, will be under pressure to perform and reconcile with Chappell quickly with fellow left-hander Yuvraj Singh in fine nick after refining his batting technique.
Two old war horses however await landmarks.
Sachin Tendulkar is one short of surpassing compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's Test record of 34 hundreds.
The 32-year-old Mumbai batsman made a comeback for the one-dayers after six months following elbow surgery, the latest wear and tear injury for the player who began his career as a 16-year-old in 1989.
Leg spinner Anil Kumble, a proven match-winner at home, will push closer to becoming only the fifth bowler in Test history to claim 500 wickets and will start 35 short of the mark.
However, poor weather due to a depression over the sea off the southern city could mar the Chennai Test. Rain also washed out last week's one-dayer against South Africa.
Security concerns owing to ethnic strife at home has prevented Sri Lanka from playing in Chennai since their one-off match in 1982 months after earning Test status.
