After having been in the harsh spotlight with the India Test team, Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh, along with Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane, will enjoy the quaint set-up of a Ranji tie

Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai07-Dec-2012On Saturday, Harbhajan Singh and Ajinkya Rahane will have turned from colleagues to competitors in less than 48 hours. From being part of India’s bench in Kolkata, the duo will go to playing playing the Ranji Trophy Group A tie between hosts Mumbai and Punjab. This will be at the Wankhede Stadium, the same venue where they were part of India’s ten-wicket mauling by England less than two weeks ago.After having been in the harsh spotlight, Harbhajan, the Punjab captain, along with Rahane – Mumbai batting’s backbone for the last five years – will enjoy the quaint set-up of a Ranji tie, with hardly any spectators and only a handful of journalists watching the game.While Harbhajan will look to extend Punjab’s dream run (they have qualified for the knockouts with three games remaining in the group stage), Rahane will hope to bolster Mumbai as they bid for their first victory of the season in their fifth game.”I just wanted to come back and play some game. It’s important to stay in touch,” Harbhajan said. “In Kolkata, the sun goes down so quickly. By 4pm it’s very dark, so you don’t get any practice if you’re sitting out. It’s good to be coming over and bowl a few overs before I join the [Test] team in Nagpur. It’ll be good to bowl few overs, pick up some wickets and score runs, hopefully, and join team again for the last Test.”Even without their regular captain Harbhajan, Punjab have been the highlight of the season so far. Led by Mandeep Singh, soon to turn 21, in four of their five games so far. Two of these wins have included bonus points. No wonder, then, that they find themselves at the top of the points table with 29 points – 18 more than the second-placed Madhya Pradesh, with Mumbai in third with 10 points.But that doesn’t mean Punjab won’t take the Mumbai game seriously. “It’s a bit challenging for us after doing well in Mohali, where the bounce is slightly less than what you get here in Mumbai,” Harbhajan, who has taken over from Mandeep, said. “Doing well in Mumbai is always good. Mumbai have always been a strong side, so scoring runs and picking up wickets here will definitely boost the confidence going into the next round.”While their results might not have been similar, Mumbai, just like Punjab, have had two captains so far this season, albeit for completely different reasons. Ajit Agarkar, who strained his thigh during their season-opener against Railways, was sidelined for the previous three games, has now taken over the mantle from Rohit Sharma, who had an indifferent run at the helm.Agarkar’s return and Rahane’s availability means Mumbai go in with a full-strength squad for only the second time this season. After Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan were available for the 39-times champions’ opening game of the season, neither the senior duo nor Rahane were available for Mumbai due to Test commitments. Wasim Jaffer too missed the first three games of the season while on pilgrimage, and Dhawal Kulkarni missed a game due to viral infection, so Mumbai have not had a settled XI.”It helps if there is a little bit of continuity,” Agarkar said. “We should have probably got over the line in the last game; it was unfortunate, but we’ve got another chance. We’ve got four internationals in our top five. We can’t ask for a better combination as a batting unit. But again, we will have to play well to get a positive result.”Agarkar admitted that Harbhajan’s return could further lift the already successful Punjab: “Any international player who is currently with the [national] team coming back to play for his state team is a big boost. A guy who has got 400 Test wickets is a big player. [But] we will just worry about what we need to do to play well.”If Mumbai indeed raise the level of their game, then they could end up being the first team to really challenge Punjab this season.

Dave Richardson, the ICC CEO, has said the ICC has a limited role to play in the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan

Umar Farooq12-Jan-2013Dave Richardson, the ICC CEO, has said the ICC has a limited role to play in the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan and it will be down to the PCB to convince other nations that it is safe to play cricket in the country.”Security is not something that is taken lightly by anybody,” Richardson, who was in Pakistan for the PCB awards ceremony, said. “Making a decision as to whether it’s safe or not involves a serious assessment of the risk. The ICC is not in a position to do [security assessment]. It’s up to the member countries to decide. They have to take advice from their own security advisors and make decisions themselves.”The bottom line is that the ICC views Pakistan as a very important part of international cricket,” he said. “Pakistan is going through difficult times through no fault of the PCB. It’s our role to support Pakistan in its efforts to make sure that international cricket returns to Pakistan. As soon as possible is what everyone would like, but it’s difficult to say exactly when and I think that’s about as much as far as we can go at this stage.”Pakistan has remained a no-go country for international teams since the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. In the past three years, Pakistan have played their ‘home’ series mostly in the UAE but reciprocal series at the junior level are on hold.Though the PCB has been desperate to revive international cricket, the efforts so far haven’t yielded any positive results.The PCB relies heavily on the government to arrange security for the visiting teams, but last year it sanctioned the purchase of bulletproof buses. Apart from working on security protocols, the PCB has been working on identifying potential new venues across the country and upgrading them to international standards. The board is also lobbying hard to win back the confidence of the teams.”Coming from a country [South Africa] which was out of international cricket for a very large period of my career, I know that if you concentrate on your domestic cricket and you make sure you encourage people to play the game even if it’s at first-class level you can reap tremendous rewards and in fact negative can turn into a positive and at the end of it all you might find that Pakistan cricket is much stronger than it was even before these difficult times.”Richardson also visited the National Cricket Academy where he was briefed about the developments in Pakistan cricket and PCB’s plans with regards to promotion and management of the game in the country.”The initiatives that PCB has put in place over the last 12 months or so I think it’s the correct way to go,” Richardson said and added that the recent “revival of ties with India” is a step in the right direction as the ties between the two countries are critical for world cricket.”The announcement of the Twenty20 competition [PSL] where foreign players will be entitled to come and play if available, again that is, I think, an initiative on the right path because what you’ve got to do is to regain the confidence of cricketing world and I think that’s a very sensible step in the right direction.”

Canterbury recorded their second straight win in Nelson, where their score of 185 proved to be just out of reach for Central Districts

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2013
ScorecardCanterbury recorded their second straight win in Nelson, where their score of 185 proved to be just out of reach for Central Districts. Electing to bat after winning the toss, Canterbury’s innings was held together for the first half by Rob Nicol, who took them past the 50-run mark. But his wicket was followed by two more, leaving them at 73 for 5 in the eleventh. Andrew Ellis and Brendon Diamanti took charge from there, though, and clobbered 112 runs off 57 balls with 17 boundaries, including eight sixes. Maiden HRV Cup fifties and personal best scores for both the batsmen helped Canterbury reach the challenging score of 185.Central Districts were off to a flier as openers Mathew Sinclair (38) and Ben Smith put together 68 runs at more than nine runs per over before Smith was run out. Twenty-year-old Will Young and captain Kieran Noema-Barnett (38) then added 61 runs off 46 balls but couldn’t find boundaries regularly. The required rate went up and when the partnership was broken, Central Districts needed 32 off 14 and they eventually fell short by five runs.This was only Canterbury’s second win in six games, the other one being against the same opposition at the same venue on January 1. Central Districts have just one win from six, and sit at the bottom of the table right below Canterbury.

Sri Lanka’s new selection panel has chosen Angelo Perera, Tharindu Kaushal and Akila Dananjaya along with 21 other young players

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Feb-2013Sri Lanka’s new selection panel has chosen Angelo Perera, Tharindu Kaushal and Akila Dananjaya along with 21 other young players in an emerging squad from which the team for the warm-up match against Bangladesh in Matara will be chosen.Perera, a 22-year-old middle order batsman, has been in stunning form in the Premier League tournament, having made two aggressive hundreds and an 87 in his three innings so far.Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, 19, has also been picked on form during his first season of domestic cricket, in which he has taken 22 List A wickets at 18.63, and 19 first-class scalps at 8.89. His first two first-class matches have yielded three five-wicket hauls. Kaushal was picked in the Sri Lanka squad for the home Tests against New Zealand in November last year, but did not get a game.Dananjaya meanwhile, has been part of Sri Lanka’s limited-overs squads since last year’s World Twenty20, and has also had a promising debut domestic season so far.Wicketkeeper-batsman and opener Niroshan Dickwella, who was the 2012 schoolboy cricketer of the year, has also had a successful introduction to professional cricket at 19, most notably scoring a match-winning hundred in the inter-provincial limited overs final.Ashen Silva, a 22-year-old opener in a more conservative mould, has been chosen, while middle-order batsman Kithruwan Vithanage, who has scored heavily in the Premier League Tournament so far, also earns a spot.The team will be coached by former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana, and play a three-day match against Bangladesh from March 3-5 to kick off the tour.Squad Ashen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Tharindu Kaushal, Akila Dananjaya, Angelo Perera, Udara Jayasundera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Kithruwan Vithanage, Ashan Priyanjana, Rumesh Buddika, Gayan Manishan (wk), Sandun Weerakkody, Lahiru Madushanka, Ishantha Jayaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Madushanka, Lahiru Jayaratne, Chaturanga de Silva, Ramith Rambukwela, Dulanjana Mendis, Maduka Liyanapathirana.

Shane Watson has committed himself to Australia’s Test team for the long term and will rejoin the squad in India ahead of the fourth Test in Delhi

Brydon Coverdale18-Mar-2013Shane Watson has committed himself to Australia’s Test team for the long term and will rejoin the squad in India ahead of the fourth Test in Delhi. Watson was due to leave Sydney on Monday evening for the final Test of the series, which begins at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday, ending any further speculation about his plans after he flew out of Chandigarh last week for the birth of his son, Will, and said at the time he would weigh up his future while at home.Watson also said he had spoken a number of times over the past week to Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s general manager of team performance, and said they were now “on the same page” after they exchanged words publicly last week. Howard is also expected to arrive in Delhi ahead of the fourth Test this week.When he left India having been told his wife Lee was likely to give birth earlier than expected, Watson said he would use his time at home to weigh up his cricket future and said that “there are a lot more important things in life”. At the time, Watson had just been ruled out of the third Test in Chandigarh as one of the four players who failed to complete a task set by the coach Mickey Arthur, and he declared the punishment “very harsh”.The issue was exacerbated when Howard said Watson was a team player “sometimes” and alluded to problems between Watson, the vice-captain, and Clarke. However, Watson and Clarke spoke on the phone when Watson arrived home and Clarke said the best-case scenario was Watson returning as vice-captain for the Delhi Test.Watson said Howard did not know him well, and after the public words from both sides Howard offered to fly to Sydney to speak to Watson face to face to iron out any problems between them. Watson said the pair had spoken over the past week and ironed out their differences.”I’ve had several constructive discussions with team management back in Mohali over the past few days,” Watson said. “We’ve spoken about how we are going to work together to move forward, as Australia attempts to climb back to the top of the ICC rankings. I’ve a burning ambition to be an Australian Test player for as long as I can be and help Australia win those big Test Series as well as the big ICC tournaments.”I have also had a number of chats with Pat Howard over the last week and we are both now on the same page and are really looking forward to working together to get Australia to be the best team in the world. I’m looking forward to getting around the boys again and concentrating on moving forward. I’m entirely committed to the team and being the best player I can be.”Watson’s return will create a selection issue after Steven Smith scored a highly impressive 92 in the first innings in Mohali and Phillip Hughes also fought through his spin problems to post 69 in the second innings. The possible permutations are further complicated by uncertainty over the fitness of the captain Michael Clarke, who struggled with back pain on the fourth day in Mohali and was hampered by the problem while batting on day five.Clarke has never missed a Test due to his ongoing back problems but the short turnaround between Tests will create a challenge for Australia’s medical staff to ensure he is available. The team travels from Chandigarh to Delhi on Tuesday and then has two days of training before the Delhi Test. It is not outside the realms of possibility that Watson, the vice-captain, could lead the team in Delhi, which would be a remarkable turnaround after his comments a week ago.Regardless of the off-field issues, Australia also need a major improvement from Watson with the bat after he scored 28, 17, 23 and 9 during the first two Tests. Since becoming vice-captain in 2011, Watson has averaged only 25.20 with the bat and has not scored a century.

Northamptonshire’s hopes of taking full control of their Championship match against Glamorgan were held up by rain and the swing bowling of Jim Allenby on the second day

11-Apr-2013
ScorecardStephen Peters added seven runs to his overnight 60 on a rain-affected day•Getty Images

Northamptonshire’s hopes of taking full control of their Championship match against Glamorgan were held up by rain and the swing bowling of Jim Allenby on the second day in Cardiff.Only 17.1 overs were possible during 70 minutes of play, with Northamptonshire moving on to 145 for 5, a first-innings lead of 11. In that time Allenby gave Glamorgan hopes of a comeback with the wickets of Rob Newton and Stephen Peters.The morning session was washed out because of steady drizzle and, after an early lunch, play eventually resumed at 1.10pm with Northamptonshire on 108 for 3, 26 behind Glamorgan’s 134 all out.Captain Peters and Newton batted watchfully in the opening hour and edged the visitors into a lead. But that lead stood at just three runs when Northamptonshire lost their first wicket of the day.Newton was out leg-before to a swinging delivery from Allenby after making 39 in a 79-run partnership with his captain.Allenby struck again three overs later to dismiss Peters, who edged to Stewart Walters at second slip. Peters went for 67 having only added seven runs to his overnight score.Rain stopped play again at 2.25pm and the day was eventually abandoned at 4.45pm.

Mitchell Marsh, the Australia allrounder, is adamant he has learned from his disciplinary troubles at the Centre of Excellence and the Champions League in South Africa last year

Daniel Brettig03-May-2013Mitchell Marsh is adamant he has learned from his disciplinary troubles at the Centre of Excellence and the Champions League in South Africa last year, even if he remains equally sure they were “blown out of proportion”.Sent home from Cricket Australia’s academy in Brisbane for turning up to training “in an unfit state” then one of several players dropped from the Perth Scorchers’ team at the CLT20 after his 21st birthday celebrations slipped out of control, Marsh spent much of the summer pondering his priorities due to a serious hamstring injury. He returned with runs and wickets for the Warriors late in the season, and has now earned an ODI place with Australia in the Champions Trophy.After returning home to Perth from the CoE in July, Marsh had been somewhat indignant about his treatment, saying he had worked extremely hard between his lapses. Ten months and a few more misadventures on from that episode, he retained a sense that the scrutiny of his behaviour had been excessive.”Those things have happened and I learned from my mistakes,” Marsh said from India. “Although I felt that both incidents were blown out of proportion I took them on the chin and took full responsibility for them. I haven’t changed the way I am around people, I just need to make better decisions at the right times.”The Australian cricket side sets extremely high standards. I really think over the last six months I’ve pulled my head in and started making good decisions. On the cricket side of things like any batsman or bowler my only currency is wickets and runs, so it’s a matter of putting runs on the board and taking wickets.”So far, Marsh’s combination of wayward behaviour and big hitting has made him seem a young man destined for a lucrative limited-overs career – his attempts at becoming a first-class batsman have so far reaped a meagre 915 runs at 21.27 in 25 matches. But amid the buzz of this year’s IPL, Marsh said his ODI recall was merely a step on the road to the Test batting place he desires most.”The biggest thing for me is I’ve always grown up wanting to play Test cricket. That’s all I want to do, it’s the hardest format and the pinnacle of our game,” Marsh said. “So for me being in the IPL at such a young age was a bonus for international experience. Playing over here is great fun, but it’s also good for my cricket.”Although I’ve been more consistent in the shorter formats, they’re a bonus for me and I’m hoping that over this winter I can improve again and become better at the longer format. Because if that’s not my goal then I’m probably not in the right sport.”Growing up I’ve always been a batsman and batted in the top five. With my bowling it’s only really come up in the last couple of years. I’ve still got the goal that I want to be a top-order batsman and hopefully be able to do a job with the ball. But I’ve got a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead.”The call to travel to England was a just reward for Marsh’s most consistent format, as his 50-over efforts have outshone even the T20 hitting that has made him a valuable commodity well in advance of his maturation as a player of Test match capabilities. But he spoke earnestly of his intent to develop in the Sheffield Shield next summer, in concert with the Western Australia coach Justin Langer.”Having started well in that format I took a lot of confidence into it and I guess that’s carried over,” he said. “In the four-day format … if I want to play the longer format for Australia I need to score more runs and be as consistent as I can, that’s what challenges me the most. And coming in at such a young age I’m thankful for that, I’ve learned a lot and I feel that I’m making good gains.”JL’s been good not only for me but for West Australian cricket, so I’m really looking forward to working with him over the summer again. He’s set clear boundaries for me, which was exactly what I needed and I know exactly where I stand.”

Ravi Bopara struck his first century of the season to put Essex in a strong
position on the second day of their Championship Division Two clash with Glamorgan

16-May-2013
ScorecardRavi Bopara returned from England Lions duty to hit his first century of the season•Getty Images

Ravi Bopara struck his first century of the season to put Essex in a strong
position on the second day of their Championship Division Two clash with Glamorgan.Bopara, who returned to Essex colours after being on England Lions duty against New Zealand last week, was dismissed shortly before the close for 145 out of 343 for 9 – giving the visitors an overall lead of 112. He batted for over six hours and faced 264 balls, with 19 fours and a six, in what was his 23rd first-class century.The standout for Glamorgan was Australian paceman Michael Hogan who recorded figures of 5 for 65.Having had a difficult seven overs to survive on the first evening, Essex had resumed their first innings on day two 10 for 2 in reply to Glamorgan’s 231 all out. After a patient start, Essex lost Jaik Mickleburgh in the eighth over of the day, when Hogan carried on his good work from the previous evening removed the opener leg-before to take his figures to 3 for 3.Essex were in some trouble at 25 for 3, but Bopara and Mark Pettini dug in before lunch to complete a 50-run partnership in 19 overs and take their side to 85 for 3 at the break. After lunch the impressive Hogan picked up his fourth wicket, Pettini well caught one-handed by Stewart Walters at second slip with only one run added.But Bopara found more useful support from Ben Foakes putting on 83 for the
fifth wicket. The England Under-19 batsman batted well for his 38 before edging slow left-armer Dean Cosker to slip where Jim Allenby took a good catch diving forward.Bopara survived a confident lbw appeal from Allenby on 74 but Glamorgan got
another breakthrough in the penultimate over before tea having Greg Smith
caught behind. Bopara’s patient century came from 204 balls with 14 fours and coincided with Essex wiping out the first-innings deficit.Glamorgan finally broke the seventh-wicket stand, which was worth 91 in 30 overs, when Mike Reed had James Foster well caught by wicketkeeper Mark Wallace.Five overs before the close Bopara’s impressive innings came to an end when he was bowled attempting to pull Graham Wagg. And in the next over Tim Phillips was trapped leg-before by Allenby but Graham Napier had contributed an unbeaten 41 from 48 balls by the close to extend Essex’s lead.

Jim Allenby hit an unbeaten 138 against his old county as Glamorgan totally dominated the second day against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

22-May-2013
ScorecardJim Allenby made his highest first-class score•Getty Images

Jim Allenby hit an unbeaten 138 against his old county as Glamorgan totally dominated the second day against Leicestershire at Grace Road. Glamorgan declared 442 for 9 and by the close their battery of seam bowlers had routed Leicestershire for 142.Michael Hogan took 4 for 25 and John Glover 4 for 51 as Leicestershire were rolled over in 44.3 overs. Josh Cobb was top scorer with 29 while Australian Joe Burns managed 21 on his debut. It left the home side 300 runs behind, facing the prospect of being asked to follow-on.It was all a far cry from Allenby’s performance that had him celebrating his first century against Leicestershire since he left them to join Glamorgan four years ago. And it beat his previous best Championship score of 137 against Surrey at the Oval in 2009.Having been dropped on 20, Allenby began the day needing 11 runs to reach fifty. Three boundaries off Nathan Buck quickly took him there and from that point on Glamorgan piled on the runs in fluent style. In all, they added another 186 runs in 48 overs to their overnight 256 for 5.Graham Wagg ensured a fourth batting point with a reverse sweep to the boundary off Jigar Naik in the 110th over and went on to reach his half century off 83 balls with seven fours. Allenby’s century off 160 balls with a six and nine fours came in the same over with the seventh wicket pair sharing a stand of 117. Glamorgan declared when the ninth wicket fell with Allenby 138 not out off 204 balls and Leicestershire needing 293 to avoid the follow on.Glamorgan’s bowlers then took over, ripping through Leicestershire’s top order with the first five wickets falling for 47 runs in 16 overs. It was a hapless batting effort from the hosts, and when Hogan took the final wicket in the penultimate over of the day, Leicestershire were left facing a massive task to avoid defeat inside three days.

India are the form team heading into the final of the tri-series, but Sri Lanka have a lot more experience in their ranks

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran10-Jul-2013

Match facts

Thursday, July 11
Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)Will it be Angelo Mathews or Virat Kohli who will be smiling after the final?•AFP

Big Picture

Much of the cricketing world’s attention might be drawn towards the blue-riband Test series which kicked off in England on Wednesday, but a soon-to-be-forgotten tri-series in the Caribbean isn’t done with yet. India and Sri Lanka have played each other so often in recent years that even jokes about how often they play each other have become stale. Still, when the two sides face off for the 42nd ODI in five years, there’s a series trophy on the line. Also, firing up the two teams will be the chance for two young captains to get their hands on some silverware.If it wasn’t enough that India’s one-day side was shorn of many of its most experienced players in recent months, they also lost the services of MS Dhoni midway through the tournament. That meant that two years on from their World Cup triumph, India’s ODI side had only two players that featured in that famous Mumbai final. Fast on the heels of that Dhoni injury, India were humiliated by Sri Lanka by 161 runs, and were staring at an early exit.Instead, stand-in captain Virat Kohli added to his ever-expanding tally of ODI centuries to resuscitate the campaign, before Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to his burgeoning reputation as a new-ball expert by ripping through Sri Lanka’s batting. The two victories meant India ended up top of the table, and will go into the final with more of the swagger that carried them to the Champions Trophy title.Sri Lanka have more experience in their line-up, particularly in the batting, but have lost some high-profile crunch ODIs to India in recent years. Their bowling attack isn’t as seasoned though, and plenty will depend on how Lasith Malinga and Rangana Herath fare.Sri Lanka will play their fourth day of cricket in five when they play the final, and thankfully the weather forecast is better than it has been over the past week. There is still a chance of some light showers but it is likely that Thursday will prove the last of India-Sri Lanka cricket for the year.

Form guide

(most recent first, last five completed matches)
Sri Lanka LWWLL
India WWLLW

In the spotlight

On Thursday, Mahela Jayawardene will become only the third cricketer to play 400 ODIs, behind legends Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya. He has a penchant for turning up on the big occasion, as India well know, and will be desperate to mark the landmark game with a performance that will lift Sri Lanka to only their third ODI series win in previous 12 campaigns.After a long and not always convincing streak in the middle order, Rohit Sharma has reinvented himself as an ODI opener. Usually a flamboyant, attacking player, he has had to shelve his more expansive strokes in the challenging conditions of the Caribbean. His strike-rate is a pedestrian 60.45 this series, but he has already played three important innings in four matches.

Team news

Fast bowler Suranga Lakmal started the long journey from Sri Lanka to the Caribbean yesterday after Nuwan Kulasekara was ruled out of the tournament with a hand injury, but whether that will only end up in boosting his frequent flier miles or the Sri Lankan pace attack as well is still to be seen. While he has to deal with the jet lag, he at least has the experience of playing in the Caribbean as recently as a couple of weeks ago, when he turned out for Sri Lanka A, taking eight wickets in three matches.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Dilhara Lokuhettige/Suranga Lakmal, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Shaminda ErangaUnless MS Dhoni is deemed fit for the final, India aren’t likely to tinker with their combination much. At Wednesday’s press conference, Kohli said a decision on Dhoni had not yet been taken.India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 M Vijay, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav

Stats and trivia

• India and Sri Lanka have won 10 finals each at neutral venues, joint second highest after Pakistan’s 20 wins. India’s win-loss record at neutral venues in finals: 10-16, Sri Lanka’s is: 10-10
• Kohli, who otherwise averages 54.70 against Sri Lanka in ODIs (five 100s, eight 50s), averages only 26 in tournament finals against them, with no fifty-plus scores
• It’s been 13 ODIs, stretching back to last November, since Jeevan Mendis either scored 30 runs or took more than one wicket
• In the first ten overs of ODIs this year, no one has more wickets than Bhuvneshwar, who has 13

Quotes

“I told the team before the last game we played against Sri Lanka that ‘we are flying home on the 12th (of July) no matter whether we play in the final or not; it’s better we play in the finals than watching two other teams in the final’.”