India brace up for Lankan swing

The hosts need to win to stay alive in the three-match series

Cricket invariably functions in consonance with the weather. It is incredibly weather-sensitive, to the point of reversing a game's fortune. The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Dharamsala was the perfect showpiece of how elements can impact the outcome. With India unexpectedly falling behind in the three-match series, the focus has turned sharply on the conditions ahead of the second game at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.

The World No 1 team was embarrassingly blown away by the darting ball in chilly Dharamsala and they need to win to push the series to the decider. The team arrived here on Monday amidst the rain. The challenges posed by the cold and cloud cover here are well-documented. Though there is no rain predicted on the match-day, on Tuesday, the ground was covered for the large part of the day under overcast sky. The pitch here traditionally assists pace and bounce, but lately it has produced some big scores. It will be no surprise if the grass is shaved off to assist batting. Still, the 11.30 am start and two new balls, undeniably, will have a say.

The persistent rain in Dharamsala forced the Sri Lankans to put off their travel on Monday. They reached here on Tuesday morning and chose to train only by early evening. India, on the other hand, made best use of the morning.

The hosts were rocked by the Sri Lanka pacers in Dharamsala. More than their seven-wicket defeat, it was their abject surrender to swing and seam which raised concerns. Crucially, most fell to cross-batted shots. With conditions here not likely to change drastically, India need to come better prepared. The experienced opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and captain Rohit Sharma will have to see through the phase of new ball. In the absence of Virat Kohli, the middle-order comprising Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey, did not inspire confidence in bowler-friendly conditions. The three, with tons of runs in domestic circuit, failed to do justice to the opportunity.  

As the batting floundered hopelessly, the exclusion of an out-of-form but experienced Ajinkya Rahane for the first match raised questions about the team selection. The team management views his role only as an opener. However, bringing Rahane at No 3 can add weight to the flaky middle-order. Besides, he also has had a good run in the ODIs this year, including in the series against Australia at home in September.    

The Indian bowlers never got much opportunity in Dharamsala but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah did a decent job during their time on the field.

With conditions favouring seam bowling, Sri Lanka would be hoping for another lucky day. The side starved of performances and victories had put up a stellar show at Dharamshala. In Suranga Lakmal, they have a bowler who can lead the pace-attack with his skills. The lanky fast bowler made excellent use of his height and conditions to make the Indian batsmen grope for the ball. It took the class of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to stop the Sri Lankans from running amok.  

Besides Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep was also impressive, not to forget Angelo Mathews' return to bowling. The all-rounder, coming back from an injury, could bowl only five overs, but it was an impressive spell. He, along with wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella also steadied the Sri Lankan chase and took them home after 12 successive defeats.  

While Sri Lanka will be brimming with confidence, India would be eager to stamp their class and prove their batting collapse was a mere aberration. It will be a red-hot contest on Wednesday, despite the pervading cold.