India aim to seal series

Preview 3rd Test

New Delhi, Dec 1: After taking an ussailable 1-0 lead, India will aim to clinch the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at a typical five-day pitch of the Ferozeshah Kotla Cricket Ground here on Saturday.

India will also eye on equalling a record of most consecutive Test series wins. Currently they are on a eight-series winning streak and a win or a draw in Kotla will pull them level to the record which is jointly shared by Australia and England.

The ongoing Test series initiated with India, Sri Lanka registering a draw in the rain-marred first match. Later, in the second game, the hosts thumped visitors to clinch victory by a mammoth innings and 239 runs.

Four Indians — Virat Kohli, Murali vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma had scored in excess of 100 to once again showing their might as they exposed the toothless and ineffective bowling attack of the visitors. On a pitch that was batting-friendly, India backed up their batting firepower with their bowlers flooring the Sri Lankan batsmen as well.

The Kotla wicket might offer a traditiol display of Test cricket with the pitch sustaining the wear and tear over the five days.

India will bank on in-form batsmen Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli who have looked to be on top of their game to get the side to a domint start.

Batsmen Lokesh Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane who have failed to click in the series will look to get going adding further depth and reliability in their batting attack.

Kohli-might also fancy making changes in his top order and bring in Shikhar Dhawan to play at his home turf.

It will be interesting to see whether captain Kohli returns to his old composition of fielding five batsmen, five bowlers and a wicket-keeper. He had fielded four bowlers in the gpur Test and all of them delivered.

If he goes for the four-bowler composition, he may have a difficult decision to leave out home boy and pacer Ishant Sharma, who bagged five wickets in his comeback Test in gpur, in favour of the returning Mohammed Shami. The Kolkata pacer had missed the second Test due to a hamstring problem.

Star spin pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will for the first couple of days aim to contain runs before turning the heat thereon.

The Dinesh Chandimal-led visitors will however look to re-work on their strategies to level series.

In batting, Sri Lanka will rely on experienced campaigners in form of Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella, who have failed to play match winning knocks in the ongoing series to give their side a much required domiting start.

The visiting batsmen are lacking in concentration and patience which are of prime importance in Test cricket. They lack the experience of playing long innings. Without taking the credit away from the Indian bowlers, it is also the case of the Sri Lankan batsmen gifting their wickets away. Sri Lanka off-spinner Dilruwan Perera who has looked to cause trouble to the Indian batsmen will be the key in the bowling department. Their side will also hope bowlers Suranga Lakmal, Dasun Shaka, Lahiru Gamage to scalp vital blows. IANS