COLOMBO, July 28: Limited-Overs, unlimited one-day internationals. That's the theme of contemporary cricket administrators. The lure of the money spinning over-limit internationals have made the mandarins of the cricketing board purblind. The diminishing importance of the Tests and the virtual wipe out of the side games are a sad fallout of their lopsided thinking while charting out the tour itineraries.

The difference between the conventional format of the game and the abridged version is vast in terms of applications, approach and attitude. Switching from one version to another requires adaptation time. And only the very gifted can show the requisite application skills, in the shift from one to another especially from the limited-overs to traditional cricket, where the risk factor is high because of the corruption and compromises creeping into the latter.

The days of the three-day and four-day matches generally interspersed between Test matches are history. Team managements have limited opinions but to give their primary players the opportunity to adapt, leaving the reserves to enjoy the `luxury' of a paid holiday.

The resultant price to be paid is that when an opportunity arises to play the reserves in the Tests/One-Day Internationals, they have got to go into the big match without having got the chance to play for a month or over.

The fear of failure is high on the players' mind and there are cases when a failure or two under such circumstances have ended promising careers.

These thoughts swim in the mind as India get their solitary opportunity in a schedule dominated by eight one-dayers and two Tests to sort out their problems and iron out the wrinkles in the team.

Their three-day match against the Sri Lankan Board XI, beginning at the Sara Stadium tomorrow, is the first and final chance before the two-Test series against the host country.

Skipper Sachin Tendulkar said that both wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia and off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan will be played tomorrow, which is only to be expected as India will like to play their likely eleven for the first Test.

The one exception could be Mohammad Azharuddin, who has been in good nick and has his confidence level quite buoyant.

Mongia will open the innings with Navjot Singh Sidhu. But it will be interesting to see how Chauhan measures up under the pressure of expectations on his comeback and under the scrutiny of international umpires, following doubts expressed by the International Cricket Council over the legality of his bowling action.

It will be a mental test for the Madhya Pradesh offie, who forced his way into international contention after reaping a rich harvest in domestic cricket last season.

Chauhan and the other three replacements, Mongia, Vinod Kambli and Gagan Khoda, arrived here only late in the evening and thus missed the morning practice session.

Skipper Tendulkar, however, is not seeing the match ahead as a mere tune-up opportunity. He said that he will be looking forward to win it. The idea being to go into the Tests without the negativity injected in his side following the massacre in the Pepsi Asia Cup final.

The Indians, however, do not have much inputs about the Lankan players in the fray tomorrow. Apart from skipper Ruwan Kalpage and Ravindra Pushpakumara, they have just sketchy information about Russel Arnold and Sanjeeva Ranatunga as the side is packed with newcomers.

Arjuna Ranatunga told The Indian Express that Sri Lanka were contemplating to bring in a couple of new faces for the Tests and it's quite possible that a good showing against the Indians could gain some of the hopefuls in the match starting tomorrow the chance to stake their claims.

TEAMS

INDIA (from): Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Navjot Singh Sidhu, Nayan Mongia, Rahul Dravid, Vinod Kambli, Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Rajesh Chauhan, Abey Kuruvilla, Nilesh Kulkarni, Venkatesh Prasad, Gagan Khoda, Robin Singh, Ajay Jadeja, Debashish Mohanty and Mohammad Azharuddin.

SRI LANKAN BOARD XI

Ruwan Kalpage (captain), Russel Arnold, Chaminda Menids, Mahela Jayawardena, Naveed Nawaz, Sanjeeva Ranatunga, Indika Galagoda (wicket-keeper), Mario Villavarayan, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Dilhara Fernando and Jayanta Silva.Umpires

Saman Amarasinghe and T H Wijewardena.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.