India hope to dominate Lanka in tri-series

India will hope for a cakewalk when they take on Sri Lanka in their opening match of the tri-series.

Mirpur: Having comprehensively beaten a full strength Sri Lanka at home last month, in-form India will hope for a cakewalk when they take on the injury-ravaged islanders in their opening match of the tri-series here on Tuesday.

India first beat Sri Lanka with consummate ease in the three-match Test series (2-0), and then compounded the visitors problem when they pocketed the five-ODI series 3-1. And with the Lankans fielding a depleted side for the series, also involving hosts Bangladesh, a win in tomorrow`s match should not be a difficult task for the Indians.Subsequently, barely a month after becoming the numero uno Test team, India would also be gunning for the top spot in ODIs as well with just Australia ahead of them. If India keep a clean slate in the tri-series and Pakistan beat Australia comprehensively in the forthcoming five-ODI series Down Under, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men would dislodge the Aussies, who are just seven points ahead, from the top spot. The Indians had a successful 2009 with four series wins, including two against Sri Lanka. However, they lost to Australia at home and crashed out in the group stage from the Champions Trophy in South Africa, and consistency is something Dhoni and his men would be looking for this year. And before departing for the series, Dhoni and his deputy Virender Sehwag have already made it clear that they would be aiming for consistency in the 50-over format. Batting has been India`s strong point in recent times and Sachin Tendulkar`s absence, who has opted out of the tournament, would hardly make any difference. The return of Yuvraj Singh, who missed the last three ODIs against Sri Lanka, will also strengthen the already formidable Indian middle order, although it is not yet certain whether he will play tomorrow. The stylish left-hander had a long batting session at the Sher-e-Bangla nets this morning under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Kirsten. He also rolled over his arm for a few balls to Rohit Sharma but did not stretch himself during the fielding session. In Tendulkar`s absence, in-form Gautam Gambhir will partner Sehwag at the top and the dashing Delhi duo would be looking to provide a strong start to the Indian innings. Sehwag, in particular, would be looking to do well in the tri-series as does not boast with a impressive record in Bangladesh so far in his career.While India does not have much worry on the batting front, they certainly have issues with death bowling and fielding, and Dhoni would be hoping for a better show from his team in these two areas. Indian fielding, particularly catching, has been horrible during the home series against Sri Lanka and the return of Yuvraj and Rohit will undoubtedly give Dhoni some reasons to smile. PTI