Facing a reasonably strong side from the Emerald islands will definitely help the Indians keep their focus, besides giving them the chance field players who have missed out on the first two Tests.
It is likely that rookie pacers Ranadeb Bose and Ishant Sharma will play on the morrow. If the team management decides to field them, then they can rest Zaheer Khan and Rudrap Pratap Singh, who have played most of the matches on this tour.
Mumbai off-spinner Ramesh Powar will in all probability get a chance to show his skills against the Lankans. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar too might sit out. In that scenario, VVS Laxman will have to impart experience to the middle order. However, the performance of S Sreesanth will be keenly observed as the Kerala paceman looked nowhere near his own his self in the two Test matches.
Bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad refused to read too much into that. "To a certain extent, I would say yes. I have as bowling coach spent a lot of time talking to him one-on-one. I'd like to leave that decision to the team management (whether to play him or not),” said Prasad, “As far as I'm concerned, as a bowling coach, Sreesanth is a strike bowler.
“He's not exactly struggling. I would rather not go too deep into it. He won a couple of matches for us in South Africa. He has fantastic body language, he is aggressive -- as long as he doesn't cross the line -- and his approach to the wicket, his seam position is all very good. He just needs to concentrate.” 
On the huge no-ball when he over-stepped by nearly a metre in Nottingham, Prasad said, "I think he lost his jump on that."
The Indians had a two-hour practice session at the Grace Road county ground under cloudy skies. It was more like an optional net, with only six players attending. Skipper Rahul Dravid came for about half an hour, but did not take part in the session.
Led by Thilan Samaraweera, the Lankans boast some quality players in their ranks. During this tour, they have lost just one game, to Lancashire. They had managed to skittle a full county side -- including England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff -- for a paltry 140, but paceman Sajid Mahamood took five for 16 from seven overs as the visitors could not overhaul the target.
Their main strength lies in batting, and Samaraweera will have to play an important part in leading their charge. He has played 39 Tests for Lanka and had played some useful knocks in the past in the middle order.
Apart from Samaraweera, they have solid players in Jehan Mubarak and Michael Vandort. Mahela Udawatte, the left-handed opener, has scored a sackful of runs in domestic games. Their bowling is also in good hands. Rangana Herath is a handy left-arm spinner who can trouble batsmen on his day. All-rounder Kaushal Lokuarachchi too can pose problems, as he did against Yorkshire. The 25-year old hammered a 64-ball 77 to guide his team to a thrilling nine-wicket win.
But India pose a different and more hazardous challenge.
Teams (from):
Indians: Rahul Dravid (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, RP Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Kaarthick, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, VVS Laxman, Zaheer Khan, Ramesh Powar, S Sreesanth, Wasim Jaffer, Yuvraj Singh, Ranadeb Bose, Ishant Sharma. 
Sri Lanka 'A': Thilan Samaraweera (capt), Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Kapugedera, Mahela Udawatte, Dilruwan Perera, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Rangana Herath, Akalanka Ganegama, Ishara Amarasinghe, Dammika Prasad, Chanaka Welegedera, Malinda Warnapura, Gayan Wijekoon, Kaushal Silva and Charith Fernando.