Friday, April 1, 2011

India Vs Sri Lanka - The ICC World Cup Final, Match Preview

India Vs Sri Lanka – The final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup

India and Sri Lanka - Possibly two of the best teams in the World cup so far deserving to be where they are today.

Sri Lankans have been by far one of the most consistent teams till now. Their top order has clicked on most occasions and set a good foundation for them. Their only concern is the lower middle order that looks a bit uncomfortable in the middle. In the event of the top 4 failing to click in a crunch game as big as the World cup final how the rest of the batting handles the pressure and takes control of the situation will be worth watching once again. They have a pretty safe pair of hands in the field too. With a lethal spin attack and a stingy pace attack, there is not an iota of doubt that it’s their bowling that’s perhaps their greatest weapon. Though there are talks of a possibility of Murli and Mathews missing the finals due to injuries but that seems unlikely to me that they will be made to sit out for what could turn out to be the biggest day of their career.

India on the other hand has played like a team so far. Everyone seems to be playing their parts well and bailing the team out of pressure. However there are aspects where the team can look forward to making an improvement. Fielding has enhanced in the successive matches and they need to keep it like that. Their batting has depth something that the Lankans lack and looks formidable with someone or the other always rising to the occasion. The bowling has been good in patches and with injury concerns looming large over their most economical bowler, Nehra, it will be interesting to see what bowling combination Dhoni walks out with in the middle!

Both the teams look as confident as ever, both have sensed the taste of defeat in the finals by the same team Australia and neither will look to experience the same! Come Saturday and it will be a royal battle for sure!!

Key Battles to look out for in the match between India Vs Sri Lanka, 2nd April - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

1. MS Dhoni vs Kumar Sangakarra

2. Sachin Tendulkar, Virendar Sehwag vs Lasith Malinga

3. Sri Lankan lower middle order vs Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh

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