THE INDIAN team cut a sorry figure in the series after losing to Australia by 65 runs in their first clash. But, it would be keen to get back into form, when they take on Sri Lanka, the 3rd team in the ODI series tomorrow at Perth. India must have an upper hand in the match, just because of a simple reason – they have been playing in Australia, for a long time now.

 

The Indians lost the first ODI of the series against Australia in a rain-affected game. The Indians looked weak in all departments compared to the Australians. But, they cannot afford to commit the same mistakes when they take on Sri Lanka, as a defeat here might demoralise the team more and may affect their morale in the next games of the triangular contest.

 

During the last match, there were some players such as Sehwag, Zaheer, Umesh Yadav, who were not in the starting 11, which was a surprise for many. Sehwag may be given a chance to play as the three openers namely, Sehwag, Gambhir and Tendulkar might be playing on a rotation policy. So either it could be Gautam or Tendulkar missing the game, reported Reuters. Other pacers might also be brought into the team, as the pitch at Perth is expected to assist fast bowlers.

 

Irrespective of whatever changes are made in the squad, they need to play better cricket than what they have played so far. It may be a young team, but they cannot afford to play rash shots, so they need to be patient and wait for the right balls to score from.

 

Sri Lanka has some proven players in their line up such as Tilekaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara along with the yorker king, Lasith Malinga. They have such a strong batting line up, so if the Indians do not manage to pick up early wickets, they would be in huge trouble. Their batsmen can change gears at their own convenience.

 

But, India should view this as an opportunity to come back into shape by winning the match and provide a strong challenge to Australians. Players such as Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sehwag must rise to the occasion as they are due for a big score, especially Sehwag, who has not played any knock, which one can recollect during this tour.