After an early breakfast, India’s bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad was all set to explore the city of Colombo. “Go to Odel, you get some good stuff there. I bought quite a few things,” he advised the players as he got up from the table.

After partying into the wee hours of Thursday morning, Team India spent the day preparing for the trip back home with last-minute shopping and by verifying their return tickets. “I will stay at home and spend time with my family,” Gautam Gambhir said when asked how he planned to spend the next few weeks. Munaf Patel proclaimed he would go to his village for a few days before starting to prepare for the Irani Trophy in late September. “I will dismiss Gautam there, it will be fun bowling to him,” he added mischievously.

Friday’s match — the fifth and final one-day international — looked like it was on the backburner as the players approached the rare one-month gap in their schedule because of the postponement of the Champions Trophy. But, while those who have already done their bit in the series so far were in a relaxed mood, some members of this Indian team are still craving for success. For these players, Friday is just as crucial as any match because it’s their last opportunity to prove their worth and cement their places in the Indian line-up.

Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha will look to impress chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar while RP Singh will remember August 29 as the day his ‘holiday’ ends. The left-arm seamer has spent a frustrating one-and-a-half months in Sri Lanka without getting a single game and will look to make the most of his chances in the last match.

... contd.