India desperate for big win

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With their chances of making the final hanging by a thread, a beleaguered India need a big win when they take on Sri Lanka here on Saturday.
Smarting from the ignominy of being beaten twice by Zimbabwe — their first back-to-back defeats against the minnows — Suresh Raina and his teammates have their backs to the wall.

Given the scenario, India, who have just four points have to beat the Lankans with a bonus point and hope that the outcome of Monday’s Zimbabwe-Sri Lanka match also goes their way.
A win and a bonus point will take India’s tally to nine points, level with Zimbabwe. Raina and his men will then hope that the hosts spring another surprise and upstage the Lankans, who have five points, in the final league encounter.
But all calculations hinge on an Indian win. The Men in Blue can take heart from the fact that they beat Tillakaratne Dilshan’s men the first time round.
That win came on the back of some fantastic batting by Rohit Sharma, who struck a hundred, and Virat Kohli. The two rescued India from a wobbly start and guided them home.
But other than the duo and to some extent Raina, India’s batting has not been too impressive.
The Zimbabweans thoroughly exposed the batting frailties and though the Lankans also have a relatively inexperienced squad, they will look to exploit the weak batting line-up.
The openers have been a letdown and Raina had no hesitation admitting that the failure of Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik has hurt the side.
Sharma has back-to-back centuries but it is unfair to expect him to bail out the side on every occasion.
A lot will depend on Kohli and Raina, while Yusuf Pathan will also have to contribute, more so when the chips are down.
India’s bowling has been largely toothless. Umesh Yadav and Ashok Dinda have been inconsistent and though they have wickets to show, their economy rates are nothing to talk about.
The Lankan were clinical against Zimbabwe but just couldn’t accelerate at the right time against India.
But the team which comprises some new faces and some comeback men can still prove to be a quite a handful for India. — PTI