The 2-1 scoreline is not unexpected given the way India have pushed Sri Lanka to the brink in all but one game – a Twenty20 – played in the limited-overs leg of the tour. But now, with the home team missing two match-winners, a hurting Sri Lanka have a realistic chance of leveling the series.
This will be the first time since MS Dhoni’s debut in 2004 that India play an ODI without him and Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni has often said that missing Yuvraj is a big blow, so how India cope with the loss of their captain and best batsman in ODIs in addition to Yuvraj will be crucial. (more…)
Fresh after claiming the number one Test spot, India can narrow the gap with ODI table-topper Australia if they win the one day series against Sri Lanka but they also risk going down the list if they lose the five-match series starting in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun and Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha have been included in the 15-man squad for the first Test against South Africa in Nagpur on February 6. Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath has also been called up to bolster a team that lost Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to injuries sustained in Bangladesh.