India will need to quickly hit its stride after a long layoff and adapt to a new venue when it starts a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka on Saturday (today). Indian cricketers normally play all year but are coming off a seven-week break, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Friday his players were fresh and energetic on the eve of the series opener.
"They are eager to spend more time at the gym even after their regular fitness sessions," he said. Saturday's match at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota will be India's first on the ground and Dhoni said the strong winds and large ground are factors his team must quickly come to terms with.
Also, it will be India's first 50-over match in four months since losing to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in March. "We need to get used to the conditions, it's different from a normal scenario," Dhoni said. "We realised it was windy out here and it can be a factor."
He added that he must learn how to place fielders in such a big ground and stop batsmen from running two or three runs after hitting into gaps. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was confident after winning the test and one-day series against Pakistan this month, and hopes they can maintain momentum into the India series. "Obviously (we are) quite happy with the way we finished off the Pakistan series but we are playing a different opponent," he said.
"The young guys have put their hands up, they have identified their roles, they are comfortable with what they are doing," Jayawardene said. In contrast to India, Sri Lanka has played continuously for six months and Jayawardene said it has given his team valuable match fitness. "The Indians are a different story; they have to get back into rhythm, but on the other hand they are probably much more fresher than us." The teams will play five One-day internationals and a Twenty20.
Squads: Sri Lanka (from): Mahela Jayawardene(captain),Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wicketkeeper), Sachithra Senanayake, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana.
India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar.