India vs Sri Lanka Final in ICC World Cup : An Injury Hit Game

Both the sides who have made to the final game of ICC world Cup 2011 is struggling with the injuries sustained to the key players of the team. Ashish Nehra after being hit by a ball got his finger fractured and now is virtually out of the final which is certainly a big blow to India. One would’ve thought the team would have been well served in playing the same combination as the semi-final, however it means Ashwin will slot right back in and the Indians will hope the pitch is a turner.

Gautam Gambhir also has a niggle and Yusuf Pathan is the ideal, and perhaps only, choice to come in. We would like to see Dhoni go down to number seven to finish the game, taking a chance with Pathan at number six.

On the other hand, Sri lanka have called up Chaminda Vaas and Suraj Randiv to be the replacement of injured key players like Muralitharan and Angelo Mathews, in case later fails to clear the fitness test. If the replacement is done, it will be a equal big blow to the Lankan side, however an ICC official confirmed that ICC hasn’t received any request from Sri Lanka cricket board so far.

Looking ahead to the final, I believe India have a distinct advantage, given Sri Lanka’s cushy run so far in the tournament. They were in the easier half of the draw, then in the quarter- final England hardly put up a fight, and in the semi- final, their frailties were exposed by a short period of brilliance from New Zealand. Their top four have been their biggest strength, scoring all their runs, and if even two of them fail, whether due to pressure or the law of averages, they will be at a disadvantage.

Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews did well to see them through the other day, but their lack of exposure in the middle will catch up with them, especially if India bowl and field the way they did against Pakistan and Australia.

In the two matches held at the Wankhede Stadium, it was clear that there was more bounce on the wickets than other centres. I honestly believe if India play normal cricket, they will win. The reason I say this is that the Indians are mentally in a much stronger position, given the difficulty of their run to the final. They have been challenged at every stage and, like gold, the more blows they have sustained, the stronger they have become.

I guess in Mumbai, the toss will play an important part in the result too, and India would do well to learn their lesson from the 2003 final and bat first, in case Dhoni gets lucky with the toss.