The second game of the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka will see India take on the Sri Lankans, at the same RPS ground in Colombo. Sri Lanka has already won their first game of the tournament with a thrashing 97-run victory over the Kiwis, and another win here would see them through to the finals. On the other hand, if India does beat Sri Lanka, all eyes would then be on the last league game between India and New Zealand to decide who will go through to the finals on Monday.

India will play their first ever ODI after the end of June when they had beaten the West Indies 2-1. Since then, the players would have had the chance of a rather long break, but there is a reasonable chance that they could have become slightly rusty because of that. Most of the batsmen, and some of the bowlers in the Indian squad did play in the BCCI Corporate Trophy, but whether that would be enough preparation for the series remains to be seen. Either ways, the game, and the tournament as a whole would work as practice for the tournament following next up; the Champions Trophy.

Virender Sehwag will miss out of the tournament because of his injury, as would Zaheer Khan - shoulder injury - and Rohit Sharma, who has been dropped. Rahul Dravid will make a comeback to the ODI side, while Suresh Raina, who had been targeted with the short balls will consider this to be an important series leading up to the Mini World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar will also play his first game in a long time, making it exciting for all his fans.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka will go into the game on a high. Having beaten the Kiwis after being 38/4 and 69/5 at one stage, they would have Thilan Samaraweera to thank for their win. But their main worry will continue to be Sanath Jayasuriya sustained loss of runs, and not a lot of support for T.Dilshan at the top.

The bowling though, is anything but not potent. In Nuwan Kulasekera, they have a bowler who leads the ICC ODI rankings currently for world bowlers, whereas Thilan Thushara is slowly creeping up the ladder as well, with his continuous ability to pick up the wickets. With Lasith Malinga back to his slinging best, it will be a keen tussle between the bat and ball.

From the Kiwis' point of view, they would be hoping for a Lankan win, as that would mean that they do not have to worry about the net run rates, just go there and beat India on Saturday. However, if India win, then not only will New Zealand have to win their last game against India, but also finish in the top two in terms of the NRR.

Tag :- Champions Trophy   Compaq Cup   India   Lasith Malinga   New Zealand   Nuwan Kulasekera   Rohit Sharma   Sachin Tendulkar   Sri Lanka   Suresh Raina