Indian captain Rahul Dravid and his Sri Lankan counterpart
Mahela Jayawardene on Friday agreed that the series decider on Saturday
would give the winning side a minor psychological edge ahead of the World
Cup. 
Dravid said that a positive result in the match on Saturday
would not mean much at the World Cup, yet it was important to win the series
and get into winning mode ahead of the quadrennial event in the Caribbean from
March 13.
"We are focussing to win the series here tomorrow. Of
course, World Cup is there in the back of our minds. We will try and win tomorrow
and take it from there to the World Cup," he said at the match-eve press
conference.
"Winning a match on hand is more important and we want
to win every game. The result here will not have a major bearing on the World
Cup.
"In fact, both the teams would want to win the series here at hand,"
he said.
Jayawardene also echoed a similar view, saying "we cannot
give too much emphasis on the World Cup now. Presently we want to win Saturday's
match which would mean a series win on Indian soil."
"This is uppermost in our mind. A win here would give
us the psychological advantage going into the World Cup.
"World Cup is a different tournament altogether. We will
be playing India in the first round. It will be on a neutral venue and the atmosphere
is different," he said. India and Sri Lanka are drawn in same group, 'B',
in the first league phase at the World Cup in the Caribbeans.
The 16 teams are spread in four groups and the top two teams move to the second
phase - the Super Eight.
Irrespective of the result in the preliminary stage, India
will be ranked below the Lankans in the Super Eight because of their inferior
ranking in One day cricket.
But the winners get to carry forward the points earned in the early rounds
and this could prove vital in case of ties later.
The Indians have decided to leave out leg-spinner Anil Kumble
and Kerala pacer S Sreesanth for Saturday's match while Sachin Tendulkar
has been rested with a stiff back.
Dravid said that Pathan, who has not played a match in the series due to soreness
in the bowling shoulder, was recovering well.
"Pathan has come on well and he bowled ten overs on the trot to batsmen
at the nets today," he said.
Dravid dismissed concerns about the injury to Tendulkar who
has stayed back in Mumbai.
"There is no real concern. It is not a very serious thing to be alarmed
about. He is experiencing some stiffness in his back and we did not want him
aggravate it," he said.
Dravid was less forthcoming on who would open on Saturday,
especially in the wake of Virender Sehwag's flop show at Goa.
When asked repeatedly whether Sehwag will open, Dravid said,
"we have to make the best choice. We have three opening batsmen and play
two of them and the third batsman perhaps will play at number three and we have
the option of playing Dinesh Kaarthick or Pathan." The Indian captain
said injuries were a non-issue with his side.
"So many international matches are being played. I am happy that the injuries
of our players are not serious ones and I am not worried about them," he
said.
"Every team is concerned about injuries to their players. But luckily
there is no concern on our players' minor injuries and I am confident about
that."
He said the team has already been working on its weak areas
in the lead up to the World Cup.
"We are seeing improvement in our fielding. We have identified the areas
where we need to improve upon and working on them in the last eight matches.
"We have realised the importance and given emphasis on our fielding and
the focus will continue."
Dravid said Yuvraj has a key role to play for India in the
West Indies.
"Yuvraj is a power player. We hope that he gets in to
his form. He is a delight to watch batting on slow wickets and this is an advantage
to us even in the World Cup."
Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody said Sachin's absence did not give
his team a significant advantage.
"Sachin is a fine player. There are 10 others in the team when he plays.
Whoever replaces him tomorrow, I hope the team will stand up to him."
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