India Aim to Maintain Momentum in 2nd ODI

Hambantota: After starting the new season with a comfortable victory, favourites India will be aiming to keep up the momentum when they take on hosts Sri Lanka in the second ODI on Tuesday.

India cruised to a 21-run win against the islanders in the opening ODI courtesy the in-form Virat Kohli who smashed 106 and senior batsman Virender Sehwag who made a significant contribution with an innings of 96.

The strip at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium where the first ODI was played seemed to be a typical limited overs pitch where the batsmen have a field day once they get their eye in.

Although the windy conditions initially help the swing bowlers but primarily it's the batsmen who dominate in these conditions.

For India, it will be an advantage of sorts as Sri Lanka's most consistent new-ball bowler in recent times, Nuwan Kulasekara is out of the series with a groin injury sustained while trying to attempt a catch during the first ODI.

All eyes will again be on man-of-the-moment Kohli who has now scored four centuries in his last five appearances and is in the form of his life.

Virender Sehwag, who had skipped the Asia Cup due to injury and was keen to get a head start as it is supposed to be a long and hard season for Team India.

However, it is unlikely that the Indian team management would tinker with the playing XI for at least another couple of matches unless they are forced to due to injury concerns.

The Indians will also have to counter Kumar Sangakkara who hit a splendid 133 in the last match but ran out of partners.

Dilshan and skipper Mahela Jayawardene are the players who are not known to go through prolonged bad patch and on their day can destroy any bowling attack in world cricket.

In Kulasekara's absence, Thisara Perera will share the responsibility of leading the bowling attack along with Lasith Malinga. Perera took three wickets in the first ODI and also scored a 28-ball 44 that gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope during the chase.

Sri Lanka have included fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep in the squad as a replacement for the injured Nuwan Kulasekara but it is the left-armer Isuru Udana who is likely to make an ODI debut.

Teams from

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Kapugedera, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeevan Mendis, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma, Ashok Dinda.

Stats and trivia

• The overall bowling averages of India and Sri Lanka in the last 12 months - 36.43 and 37.97 - are just above that of Zimbabwe in one-day internationals.
• Malinga had an economy of 5.36 in the last 12 months; against India, though, it was 7.52.
• Kohli's ODI average is 51.33, but it drops to 29.15 in 14 matches in Sri Lanka.

Match facts
Tuesday July 24, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 14:30 local (09:30 GMT)