Lasith Malinga rested and Murali’s place gives chance for Ajantha Mendis for 2nd Test:

Sri Lanka tries out two bowlers against India

By Ranjan ANANDAPPA

CRICKET TEST: Sri Lanka’s match winning paceman Lasith Malinga has been rested and rookie fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has been included in the Sri Lanka squad along with Ajantha Mendis for the second cricket Test against India that will begin tomorrow at the SSC grounds.

Unknown quality Nuwan Pradeep may get the nod from the selectors to join the final eleven and Ajantha Mendis who replaces retired Muthiah Muralitharan looks a certainty in the final composition of the team with his bowling history at the SSC.

The Indian phobia of not winning a Test series in Sri Lankan soil for 17 years could be further elongated,with the Islanders taking a 1/0 lead in the Test series which put themselves in an advantageous position.

India last won a Test series in Sri Lanka (1-0) was in 1993 under Mohammed Azharuddin.

India will now have to win both Tests in Colombo if they are to break the 17-year-old jinx, and also to prevent the Lankans displacing them from the number one ranking at the Test ratings. At the moment the Indians are performing far below than expect actions. India’s official number one Test ranking which they gained by beating Sri Lanka 2-0 last year at home is in danger of getting displaced. India’s major problem has been their bowling, with Zaheer Khan and Srisaanth both going back home due to injuries and Harbhajan Singh finding difficult to find his fluency due to a leg injury. Abhimanya Mithun who made his Test debut at Galle looks a good bet for the future and Munaf Patel too, could add more vigour to the Indian attack.

This is the third Test series in two years between the two countries. Sri Lanka beat India 2-1 in August 2008 at home, when spinner Ajantha Mendis through havoc with the umpires referral system introduced for the first time in a Test match. The following year (2009) India hit back hard by defeating the Lankans 2/0 at home with the umpires referral system not in force.

Team

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (Captain), T.M. Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavithana, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad, Chanaka Welegedera, Ajantha Mendis, Dilahara Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep.

India: Gautham Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuraj Singh, M.S. Dhoni (Captain), Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Abhimanya Mithun, Munaf Patel.