Sri Lanka vs India - Scores could be leveled for India as the bowling is boosted - Opinion
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s strength lies in its ruthless set of batsman, who can annihilate bowling attacks on any given day. The likes of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Kohli, Raina and Dhoni have proven to be too hot to handle in conditions which are conducive to stroke play. Not many
would forget the game between the Indians and Sri Lanka at the Bellerive Oval, where the former managed to overhaul Sri Lanka’s 320 for 4 in just 36.4 overs in the CB series. Yet much to the dismay of Indian cricket fans, their one dimensional approach has
hurt their ascendancy in ODI cricket.
The truth is that world class teams have all three departments intact, which is where India has been severely handicapped. The team has underperformed with the ball on numerous occasions, with their bowlers leaking runs brazenly. This has prevented them
from winning games even after their batsman manage to post mammoth totals. This series against Sri Lanka, which will take place in the Emerald Isle from the 21st of July, would thus test the Indian bowling repertoire to the very core.
The good news for the Men in Blue however, is the return of Zaheer Khan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Chinnadupargea-Sachin-c50607 Tendulkar’s name
was not in the 15-man squad, yet India would be content with the boost in their bowling attack with genuinely quick bowlers. The one dimensional nature of the side could probably be laid to rest this time around, given that the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashok-Dinda-c1098 would be
nonexistent. Bangladesh’s victory in the recently concluded Asia Cup is a prime example of poor bowling in the death and a complete lack of experience.
In comparison Sri Lanka, have their own set of bowlers with many of them in top form. Malinga has been as impressive with the new ball as Kulasekara, where the recent series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 helped them master their conditions to perfection. Yet when the
squads were being announced, India seemed severely handicapped by Sachin Tendulkar’s absence only for the arrival of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739 and Irfan Pathan, which evens it out for them.
What works for India and gives them a realistic chance is the relative experience of their bowlers. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Z-Khan-c98379 has played close to 195 matches at an average of 29, and has 278 wickets to his name. He had been an instrumental force in the World Cup and even
during the World Cup final against Sri Lanka, he picked up crucial wickets.
Fellow Indian pacer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758’s bowlers, despite being in better form, are expected to get
peppered by the Indian batsmen who are accustomed to being at their supreme best in subcontinent like conditions. Notching up scores in excess of 300 has never been a problem for India in Asia, yet the trouble has been in their ability to bowl well to defend
the efforts of their batsman. The boost that they recently received however, can be considered as tailor made to tackle the Lankans in the Micromax Cup of 2012.
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