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.
Preparing for their first test in India after an unusually long gap of eight years, Sri Lanka are under tremendous pressure going into the first test in Chennai.
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 Saurav 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.