Tri-series Final - Upbeat India Bank on In-form Kohli

Mirpur: The winning momentum back after their three successive wins, India would seek to maintain their supremacy over Sri Lanka and start the season on a positive note when they take on the islanders in the final of the tri-series on Wednesday.

India lost their opening match of the tri-series against Sri Lanka on January 5 but bounced back strongly with three thumping wins two against Bangladesh and one against Sri Lanka to be high on confidence as they go into the summit showdown.

Dhoni's men had a successful ODI record last year winning four series. They would be eager to pocket the ongoing tri-series as well, which will come as a morale booster not only going into the Test series against Bangladesh starting in Chittagong on January 17 but also for the tough season ahead.

After the Asia Cup in Pakistan in June 2008, India have won all the tournaments involving Sri Lanka except for the ICC Champions Trophy and Dhoni and his men would want to extend their dominance over the islanders at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

The match will also create a record of maximum number of games being played between any two countries in One-dayers. Wednesday's encounter will be the 121st between India and Sri Lanka, eclipsing the record between Australia and West Indies (120).

India's batting still remains the strong point with all the top order in good nick and Virat Kohli the most impressive among the lot, as he became the highest run scorer in the tournament with a century against Bangladesh on Monday.

Sehwag's return to the playing eleven means Dinesh Karthik, who did reasonably well in the last two matches, will have to sit out of the summit clash.

India's bowling though had been patchy and inconsistent in the tournament so far. The Zaheer Khan-led bowling attack struggled in the first two games before producing an impressive performance last game on Sunday against Sri Lanka, which Dhoni said was one of the best efforts in recent times.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, would be desperate to record their first series win against India in nearly two years. The islanders have lost two bilateral series and the final of a tournament at home the Compaq Cup in September last year.

The Sri Lankans must be a bit low in morale after their crushing defeat at the hands of India in their last match, especially after being on a roll following three successive victories.

But with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga in great touch and Sangakkara providing the stability at the number three spot, the islanders can beat any side on a given day.

Captain Sanga has been the tournament's second highest scorer with 219 runs behind Kohli while former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who has a century under his belt in the event, provides the class and solidity in the middle order.

A lot will also depend on the toss as dew is still playing an important role in the outcome of the matches with the bowlers struggling to grip the ball in the evening.

Team news

India: Sehwag rested for the last two games, so he will back at the top for Dinesh Karthik. Zaheer replace Nehra or Sreesanth. Harbhajan Singh's return means Amit Mishra will go back.

Squad (likely): MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sudeep Tyagi, Ashish Nehra/Sreesanth.

Sri Lanka: Thushara was also seen trying to get bounce from short of a length. Sri Lanka will have to decide between one of them Kulasekara and Thushara.

Squad (likely): Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Thissara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Chanaka Welegedara.

Stats and trivia

The final will be the 121st ODI between India and Sri Lanka, a record for most matches played between two teams. Australia and West Indies have played 120, while Sri Lanka have played 119 against Pakistan.
In neutral venues India hold a 19-11 advantage against Sri Lanka, and have won eight of the last 12.
All six matches in the tournament so far have been won by the team batting second.

Match facts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 (day/night)
Start time 14:00 local time (8:00 GMT), 01:30pm IST & SLT

Scores	Upcoming	Results
No games being played at this time. 4th Test - Australia v India - December 26-30, 23:30 GMT 1st Test - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan - December 26-30, 07:30 GMT 3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg Pakistan won by 36 runs (DLS method) 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining)

Related links

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