Indians test their strength against Board XI

By S. Dinakar

COLOMBO, AUG. 7. The old soldiers have joined hands for a new campaign. A mission where duels are not going to be won easily. Yet, both are battle- hardened and it promises to be interesting.

Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad are here in Sri Lanka, renewing one of the finest Indian pace-bowling combinations. An endearing partnership between two friends, who first excelled for the same State, and then the country.

``It's been a long time since I have travelled with Venky. It's a nice feeling to be back with him. I hope we live up to the expectations of the people. We've done well in the past,'' said Srinath and added, ``I had a pretty ordinary series in Zimbabwe. I hope to do better here.'' The affable speedster arrived here on Tuesday afternoon along with Prasad and Tamil Nadu opener Sadagopan Ramesh.

Srinath's Karnataka mate Prasad, for whom the Test series represents a comeback, too appeared excited at the prospect of operating again with Srinath, ``It feels great. We know each other quite well. He's the kind of bowler who keeps the pressure on the batsmen all the time. If I play, I know he would be bowling at the other end.''

The two will spearhead the Indian attack when the side takes on the Board XI in a three-day game at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium - the venue was shifted from Matara following a request from the Indian team-management on security grounds - here on Wednesday.

Skipper Sourav Ganguly (right ankle), vice-captain Rahul Dravid (right heel) have minor injuries to grapple with, however the captain is expected to be fit for the game, according to coach John Wright.

Out of the sixteen-member squad, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is yet to arrive, while Zaheer Khan is expected to rejoin only on Wednesday, after undergoing tests on his troublesome shin, in Chennai.

With Dravid out of the game, and spin ace Harbhajan Singh earning a well-deserved rest, the Indians will select their eleven out of the twelve available players.

At the top of the order, Shiv Sundar Das and Sadagopan Ramesh will have an opportunity to get into the groove before the first Test gets underway at Galle on August 14.

Given that Lanka possesses a lively set of pacemen led by the red-hot Dilhara Fernando, the openers will have to play a major role in the series. The technically sound Das had a wonderful tour of Zimbabwe, but the left-handed Ramesh, who has been rather unfairly criticised on occasions, given the fact that he still possesses a pretty useful Test average, will be striving to prove the doubters wrong.

With V.V.S. Laxman not available for the series, one batting spot is up for grabs and we could witness a keen tussle between Hemang Badani, Dinesh Mongia, and Mohammed Kaif. Badani should be the front-runner though.

Railways' Harvinder Singh enjoyed a fine year in domestic cricket, and the reward came in the form of a berth in the Indian team for the One-day triangular series in Zimbabwe. This time, the paceman gets an opportunity to figure in Tests.

Leggie Sairaj Bahutule and left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi are fighting it out for the second spinner's slot on this tour and only one them might get to play in this game.

The Board XI will be led by Thilan Samaraweera, a promising off- spinning all-rounder. And the outfit is a blend of players who have already received a look-in and those striving for their first break. The talented Kumara Sangakkara, for whom this is a big game, Avishka Gunawardene, Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan, not to forget the experienced Hashan Tillekeratne, in prolific domestic form this year, form a rather threatening batting line-up. Opener Michael van Dort, a youngster knocking on the doors, could catch the attention of the selectors too.

The versatile Suresh Perera, Ruchira Perera and Dinusha Fernando form the pace-pack, while S. Weerakoon is a left-arm spinner who has been among the wickets this season.

Talking about the batting line-up for the first Test, Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya made a specific mention about Hashan Tillekeratne the other day and the left-handed veteran will be very close to a Test recall if he finds runs in this game.

The Teams:

India (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sadagopan Ramesh, Shiv Sundar Das, Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Mohammed Kaif, Sameer Dighe, Sairaj Bahutule, Rahul Sanghvi, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Harvinder Singh.

The Board XI (likely): Thilan Samaraweera (captain), Avishka Gunawardene, Michael van Dort, Kumara Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Hashan Tillekeratne, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Suresh Perera, S. Weerakoon, Ruchira Perera, and Dinusha Fernando.

Hours of play (IST): 10 a.m. to 12 noon, 12.40 p.m. to 2.40 p.m. & 3 p.m. till the end of play.

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