India hopes to reach top spot in rankings

Chris DHAMBARAGE

India’s reputation as the World’s number two in the ICC rankings will be under major threat when the Compaq Cup Tri Series limited overs tournament resumes at the R. Premadasa Stadium today.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s high profile team will take on New Zealand in their opening fixture followed by the clash against the hosts Sri Lanka at the same venue tomorrow in back to back matches before the two top teams meet in Monday’s final.

India of course will start as the favourites simply because of their star studded line up which includes veteran Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid two of the top run getters in the shorter version of the game.

However they will miss the services of injured opener Virender Sehwag and paceman Zaheer Khan. But their coach Gary Kirsten believes that they could rise to the top of the table in the rankings and become the world’s best one day team.

India need to win both their preliminary round matches as well as the final if they are to top the International Cricket Council rankings for one day internationals. India have enjoyed a great amount of success in their last two tours to the island and will take the field brimming with confidence. But when it comes to a multi nation event India have struggled a bit where they have failed to win a title for nearly eleven years in Sri Lanka having last won the final of a major limited over event on Lankan soil in 1998 and then shared the rain affected ICC Champions Trophy with the hosts in 2002.

Their previous success was fashioned by openers Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly with both scoring centuries as they defeated the hosts led by Arjuna Ranatunga to clinch the Singer Akai Nidahas Trophy eleven years ago. The coincidence is that tournament too featured New Zealand.

Since then India have participated in five multi-national tournaments excluding the abandoned Unitech Cup in 2006 but have failed to break the summit clash jinx and have finished on the losing side to the hosts on all other occasions.

Even then India have soon been able to gain a reputation of not being overwhelmed by history and past records having hit a purple patch recently with five consecutive bilateral one day international series triumphs.

The most significant fact has been that three of these five recent victories have come against New Zealand and Sri Lanka which will certainly be an added advantage.

India not only humiliated Sri Lanka in their own backyard twice in the last two years but also defeated the Kiwis in New Zealand earlier this year.

India coach Kirsten said the toss will be crucial on low, slow Sri Lankan pitches, where chasing a target under lights was not easy. In fact New Zealand found run making really difficult on Tuesday when they were skittle out for 119 runs in reply to Sri Lanka’s 216 for 7 in the opening match.

Even then Kirsten believes that the they need to win from any situation if they are to be a world class side. He welcomed the reentry of middle order batsman Rahul Dravid after nearly two years which also augurs well for the team.

In fact Dravid is only the second batsman in the current team after Sachin Tendulkar to have completed 10,000 runs in one-day internationals.

Gautham Gambhir ruled out:

India suffered a major blow ahead of their opening fixture of the Compaq Cup Tri Series limited overs tournament against New Zealand when regular opener Gautham Gambhir was ruled out with a groin injury. Gambhir’s injury means that India will be without two of their regular openers after Virender Sehwag had earlier pulled out with a shoulder injury.

Gambhir’s replacement will be Virat Kohli although Dinesh Karthik is likely to make the starting XI. Kohli who is currently attached to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore is expected to join the squad today.