Glimmer of hope for India

COLOMBO, JULY 25. Sri Lanka's victory over New Zealand at the Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday has provided India with a glimmer of hope in the Coca- Cola triangular competition.

Sourav Ganguly's men can get level on points with the Kiwis, if they win Thursday's game against the New Zealanders at the same venue.

New Zealand has two points from three games, while India has drawn a blank in its two matches so far. Host Sri Lanka is the overwhelming favourite to qualify for the final with six points from three encounters.

The Indians had nets at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in the afternoon and the team management has announced its 13 for the coming duel. Pacemen Ajit Agarkar and Debasis Mohanty have been left out, which also means left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra has recovered from viral infection.

However, the think-tank is keeping its options open as far as the opening slots are concerned. Now, it is dabbling with the idea of having Ganguly back at the top of the order against New Zealand - the Indian captain batted in the middle-order in last Sunday's game to counter Muttiah Muralitharan.

In other words, the team has got itself into a tangle as far as the opening slots are concerned. All this uncertainty is hardly going to help the side's cause.

The Indians have not made up their mind about the attack too, though there were indications that a second specialist spinner might get a look-in. Of course, offie Harbhajan Singh has been operating at his best in this tournament.

The Indians are also taking the overcast conditions that prevailed in Colombo today into account, and coach John Wright admitted he was bothered by the weather.

On the other hand, it is doubtful whether Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming and paceman Dion Nash would be match fit for tomorrow's match, a day after missing the contest against Lanka due to an upset stomach. The Kiwi team management though has not ruled both these players out of the game.

The teams:

India (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), Amay Khurasia, V.V.S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, Yuveraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Sameer Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra & Rahul Sanghvi. Coach: John Wright.

New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Matthew Sinclair, Craig McMillan, Lou Vincent, Chris Harris, Jacob Oram, Adam Parore, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Darryl Tuffey, Dion Nash, Grant Bradburn, & James Franklin. Coach: David Trist.

Umpires: Messrs P. Manuel & G. Silva. Third umpire: Mr. Jayasundara. Match referee: Mr. Cammie Smith.

Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1.45 p.m. till the end of play. - Our Special Correspondent

Ratnayake takes over as manager

COLOMBO, JULY 25. Former Test paceman Rumesh Ratnayake will act as Sri Lankan manager for the rest of the Coca-Cola triangular tournament.

This follows a request from Air Commodore Ajit Jeyasekara, who had been performing the role till the last game, to be relieved of this responsibility since he wanted resume his duties with the Sri Lankan Air Force following the recent LTTE attack in Colombo. The interim panel of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) has accepted Mr. Jayasekara's request.

Rumesh Ratnayake is already guiding the young pacemen in the side as the fast bowling coach. Now he has additional responsibility.

- Our Special Correspondent

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