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Dambulla: The Asia Cup starts at an interesting time for cricket, since the world is glued to the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Yet, Indian cricket fans can be counted upon to keep the TRPs steady and keep cricket relevant in the face of competition from bigger sports.
More importantly for the players, though, this tournament comes just six to seven months before the 2011 World Cup, also to be played in the subcontinent. Also, MS Dhoni and his boys are looking for a turnaround following indifferent recent form and how they fare here will be interesting to watch.
Fresh from the drubbing they got at the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, India go in with much more than a desire for a trophy at stake.
They will have to struggle to reverse the tide and set the foundation for better performances in the crucial months leading up to the World Cup.
The selectors will be watching performances closely in an attempt to finetune the team composition before the World Cup. They will be keen to see how newbies like Saurabh Tiwary and Ashok Dinda contribute.
Though India's Asia Cup squad is fortified with the vibrancy of youth, it may be lacking a little in the maturity of experience. Two old hands - Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh - will be conspicuous by their absence. The latter has been discharged of his duties for the time being in order to refresh and rejuvenate his game.
India's key players will be captain Dhoni, his deputy Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and youngsters like Suresh Raina, who recently captained India in the Zimbabwe tri-series. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma enhance the side's youth quotient.
While this sides batting lineup looks good, the bowling leaves something to be desired. This series will be an acid test for spearhead Zaheer Khan, and the others will be expected to offer the left-arm seamer support.
India will be wary of Sri Lanka and Pakistan but Bangladesh too are no write-offs. If anything, they're fast becoming a team to reckon with. The Indians know all about the unpredictability of cricket, what with their recent losses to Zimbabwe.
