India v Sri Lanka Test 1 Day 4 Preview

Much better day in Chennai, although the wet outfield means it will take a lot of time to dry. So as things stand now, we are likely to start the game at 3 pm IST and play for 38 overs. Fat lot of good, that is going to do to any team, IMO. But at least we can start talking about final elevens, what to do on winning the toss etc.

There is a theory going around that with this Test being little more than of academic interest we might see a bit of experimentation in the lineup, especially with the fringe players like RP Singh, Kaif and Yuvraj being given a go. Of course, looking at what GC has done it is not beyond the realms of possibility. I do not agree with this policy, because I believe a Test match is a Test match is a Test match and should not be trifled with. However I can understand such a policy without agreeing to it.

Toss:
So what should the captain do on winning the toss ? There have been innumerable theories doing the rounds, most notably on Fourth Umpire on DD where Srikkanth and Mohinder have strongly argued their own cases on what should be done and all the permutations and combinations have been thrashed out.

What should India do ?:
I dunno really. It is evident that we are not gonna get a result here. But if there is a 1 in a million chance it will lie in India bowling out SL for a low total and batting just once. So that suggests maybe we should bowl. But as I said earlier that is, indeed a long shot. Batting first of course, would take out the risk factor of fielders fielding on what is bound to be not the best possible outfield. There is also this theory of whom you want to give a run. If it's your batsmen that need the time, bat and similarly with the bowlers. I don't think that is going to make too much of a difference here. True some of the batsmen are out of touch, but then they are all experienced. Pathan and Bhajji are in fine form, but we want to test Agarkar at this level as well as give Kumble a chance to get back into his groove after a break, so it is tuf to make a choice based on that.

What is Sri Lanka likely to do ?:
I think they will bat. Their batsmen are in far greater need of a good outing in the middle than us. If they do, we should try our best to dent their confidence by picking a few quick wickets.

Conclusion:
It might just be a good toss to lose !!!