Sport

India getting into the groove

— Photo: AFP

WARMING UP: V.V.S. Laxman at a practice session on the eve of the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board XI.

Colombo: After being busy in one-dayers and Twenty20s for almost three months, India will look to quickly get into the groove for the longer version of cricket as it takes on a Sri Lankan Board XI in a three-day warm-up match here from Friday.

India, which last played a Test against South Africa at home in April, took advantage of a sunny day here and put in some rigorous practice to shift into the five-day mode ahead of the first Test, beginning on July 23.

The match will be India’s only warm-up game before the three Test series.

India is likely to field senior players for the match as many of them have not played for a while as they were not part of the recent Asia Cup in Pakistan.

Virender Sehwag will in all probability open with Gautam Gambhir at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC). Spinner Harbhajan Singh, who returned to the national team after serving a five-ODI ban for slapping S. Sreesanth during an Indian Premier League match, was the cynosure of all eyes during the net session.

Pace spearheads Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma also underwent strenuous workouts under the supervision of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad.

The Sri Lankan Board team, however, was taking it easy. Jehan Mubarak will lead the side in the match.

The 12-man squad includes four players who are likely to figure in the first Test. They are fast bowlers Dilhara Fernando and Chanaka Welagedera and batsmen Chamara Silva and Upul Tharanga.

The match will be especially crucial for Tharanga, who is on a comeback trail after an ordinary run of form since the start of 2007 which resulted in his exclusion from the national team.

Tharanga Paranavitana and Sachithra Senanayake, two Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) players, would be the reserves. Paranavitana-led SSC to the Premier League Championship title, and was the top-scorer in the 2007-08 season with 893 runs at 74.41. Off-spinner Senanayake has 65 wickets from 12 first-class matches at 16.69.

The teams (from):

India: Anil Kumble (Capt.), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Pragyan Ojha and Parthiv Patel.

Sri Lanka Board XI: Jehan Mubarak (Capt.), Mahela Udawatte, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushal Silva, Chanaka Welagedera, Sujeewa Silva, Dammika Prasad, Rangana Herath and Dilhara Fernando. — PTI

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