No Twenty20 for Tendulkar

Right after the presentation ceremony on Sunday,Sachin Tendulkars metal cricket kit was carried downstairs...

Right after the presentation ceremony on Sunday,Sachin Tendulkars metal cricket kit was carried downstairs and loaded into a waiting van. Never too keen on the Twenty20 format,Tendulkar who didnt play in the last two one-dayers took special permission from board officials and returned early from Colombo,taking a midnight flight straight to Mumbai. The rest of the contingent will stay back for the one-off Twenty20 match on February 10. Meanwhile,there were plenty of check-ins and check-outs at the team hotel on Sunday night,with Sri Lankas T20 specialists taking over from the jaded one-day team.

Missed record

Mahendra Singh Dhoni broke the Indian record for consecutive ODI wins on Thursday night. On Sunday,he had the chance to break another one set by Sourav Ganguly,but let it go by. Dhoni used nine bowlers as he looked to slow down the marauding Lankans only the second instance in Indian cricket after Sourav used that many against the West Indies in Baroda seven years ago. This was the ninth instance in one-day cricket that a team has used nine bowlers,the record so far. Interestingly,Dhonis other two options in the kitty,himself and Gautam Gambhir,have both bowled in international cricket before.

Mixed bag

Ravindra Jadeja will never forget the moment Mahendra Singh Dhoni officially welcomed him into the Indian team and Sachin Tendulkar handed over his debut cap,with team mates cheering loudly in a small presentation ceremony before start of play. Fortunately,he salvaged some happy memories of his debut despite ending up on the losing side.

Jadejas half-century towards the end of the day did just enough to compensate for dropping a sitter off Sanath Jayasuriya at point and conceding 40 runs in the six overs he bowled. Comeback man Laxmipathy Balaji didnt have any such luck though,finishing with a none too impressive 5-0-32-0.

Whats under the cap?

The cap has never been such so much in fashion for Virender Sehwag. The opener has been wearing it all the time in Sri Lanka,right from the breakfast table to training sessions in fact,he hasnt even been taking it off when he bowls. While batting,he wears a helmet,and already there are whispers about a new look that is being kept under wraps.