India XI vs. Sri Lanka Board President's XI: Match Preview
The Indian national team is on its tour to Sri Lanka these days to face off against the hosts in a three test match series followed by a tri-nation tournament that would also include http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754. The test series starts from Sunday, July 18 at Galle while the tri-nation one day series is scheduled to be played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium from the 10th of August. Before the test series, India will play a three days warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board President's XI on the 13th of July at the Colts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo.
The visitors are facing fitness problems particularly in the bowling department which is why he has run into these issues. Both Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan are injured while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has gotten some fever complaints. The hosts on the other hand are all set to face the men in blue even in the three-day practice match. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis might not make it to the Galle test squad, but has also been given a chance to impress the team management.
On the other hand, the Indian XI is wide open with various batting line-up choices. If Yuvraj, Vijay or Suresh Raina get a chance to play against the Sri Lankan Board President's XI today, the three-day game can become quite interesting. An impressive performance from any of these three Indian batsmen against the likes of Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, and Chanaka Welegedara can earn them a chance to play at the number six slot on Sunday.
More desperate is the Indian bowling department. In the absence of the regular pace attackers Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth, Abhimanyu Mithun will be joining http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ishant-Sharma-c64566 today against the President’s XI. A solid performance from Mithun against the likes of Thilan Samaraweera, Lahiru Thirimanne and the Test squad probable Upul Tharanga can earn him Sreesanth's slot in Sunday’s match.
Both Ojha and Mishra have been trying for long to impress the team management by assisting Harbhajan Singh in the spin department. However, none of the two have so far been successful in making an impact on the selectors. With Harbhajan still struggling with fever, both Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra are likely to play against the President’s XI.
The bowling line-up for the Sri Lankan does include some uncertainties as well, particularly in the fast bowling department. Only two out of Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga Chanaka Welegedara and Dammika Prasad can make it to the three-day practice match. Welegedara and Fernando, if succeeded in making the XI, will have a very good chance to win a berth in Sunday’s test match against India by impressing the coach and the captain. Mendis would be the most interesting part of the three-day game as he will be playing against the same batting line of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 which he destroyed some two years ago. Mendis is fully aware of the vacancy in the spin department as Murali will be retiring after the Galle test. He will try to convince the selectors that he is the best choice to fill Murali’s gap in the national team.
The match is scheduled to be played at the Colts Cricket Club Ground which is a traditional, idyllic cricket ground, encircled by foliage in Havelock Town, Colombo. With the monsoon season starting in South Asia, scattered showers of heavy rain are expected during the three days of the game. The game at the Colts Ground will be a test trial for both sides and would definitely offer a lot to learn for both the teams.
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