What should help is that the fourth game of the five-match series will be played on a different 22-yard surface, one which is slightly better rolled and should allow the ball to come on to the bat better.

Shuffle on the cards

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are battling with their own share of problems — mostly in a rather lean middle-order. Chamara Silva has been persisted with despite failing to impose himself, while Kumar Sangakkara has struggled against Zaheer Khan early in the innings. The hosts are expected to shuffle their batting order around to accommodate Jehan Mubarak at the top, which will then allow Sangakkara, one of their mainstays, to come in once things ease up in the middle.

Dhoni has increasingly treated a fifth bowler as a luxury in one-dayers and under the circumstances, it’s likely that they will go in with the same seven-four combination with Yuvraj and Rohit turning their arms over.

Shot at history

As the Indian team filed into the team bus after Monday’s practice, a big photograph hanging in the main stadium lounge caught Gary Kirsten’s attention. It’s a picture of a scoreboard where the total reads 952, with Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama posing besides it. ‘A new chapter added in the history of international cricket at the R Premadasa stadium’.

India were at the receiving end of that historic partnership. On Tuesday, Dhoni & Co get a small shot at making some, for India, surprising as it sounds, have never won a bilateral one-day series in Sri Lanka.

... contd.