Asia Cup: India look to rediscover winning touch

DAMBULLA: MS Dhoni's India have a chance to start with a win when they take on Bangladesh in their first Asia Cup match on Wednesday. With a spate of recent mediocre performances behind them, the team will be hoping to turn the tide and get their act together ahead of some key contests that follow.

This is a brief tournament and India have just three matches to make a mark. Bangladesh offer the perfect opportunity to notch up a victory, but Dhoni's men cannot afford to underestimate the Bangladeshis. India will have to get down to serious business from the word go.

Seven members of India's playing XI have joined the team straight from the series in Zimbabwe, and must surely be fatigued. Those rested from the Zimbabwe sojourn are likely to be rusty. Also, India have always struggled to adjust to conditions in Lanka. The younger members of the squad, like Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashok Dinda and R Ashwin must cope with such pressures.

Playing the game is only a part of the job profile: coping with stress and performing regardless of rest or playing conditions is what sets seasoned professionals apart. The boys in blue, fatigued as they may be, should seek inspiration in the picturesque vistas, the lush mountains and tranquil lakes of Dambulla. For, as skipper Dhoni says, "You are always under pressure when you're playing for India."

The Indians, as a unit, will be missing the steadying presence of Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. This may heighten the pressure on the top, specially Dhoni and deputy Sehwag.

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Afridi ton in vain, Malinga powers Lanka to exciting win

DAMBULLA: Defending champions Sri Lanka fought jangled nerves to override Shahid Afridi's blistering century and record an exciting 16-run win over Pakistan in the first match of the Asia Cup on Tuesday.


Chasing 243 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Pakistan seemed on course for a win as long as Afridi (109) was in the middle. But once Muttiah Muralitharan ended his scintillating 76-ball knock Lasith Malinga (5/34) mowed down the lower order and bundled Pakistan for 226 in 47 overs.

Earlier, Sri Lanka showed great character in recovering from a poor start to make a fighting 242 for nine, thanks in main to the never-say-die Angelo Mathews (55 not out), Mahela Jayawardene (54) and Kumar Sangakkara (42).

Afridi braved cramps and kept fighting but his batting colleagues completely let him down, something that could be gauged from the fact that the next best score was Umar Akmal's 30.

Sitting pretty when Pakistan were staggering at 32 for four in the 14th over, Sri Lanka suddenly found themselves in dire straits when Afridi cut loose. Three Afridi-inspired partnerships -- worth 73, 49 and 51 -- saw Pakistan roar back into the game but his fall in the 41st over brought Lanka back into the game.

Hampered by a groin injury, the gallant Afridi struck as many as seven sixes and eight boundaries while producing his fifth ODI century. He dominated the Lankan attack until Muralitharan, battered and bruised by Afridi's onslaught, had the last laugh.

Earlier, a two-wicket burst at the start of the innings by Malinga had put Sri Lanka firmly in control of the game until Afridi stepped on the gas and nearly turned the match on its head.

If Pakistan had blooded Shahzaib Hasan and Umar Amin with a hope of preparing their team for the 2011 World Cup, the two young top-order batsmen failed to live up to expectations. They struggled against Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara, with neither having a clue against the seaming ball.

But Afridi made little of the pressure, smashing successive sixes of Farveez Maharoof and heaving the wily Muralitharan over the pickets on five occasions.

Malinga (5 for 34) was the pick of the bowlers, overshadowing an encouraging performance by Shoaib Akhtar who bowled his heart out on an unresponsive wicket.

Playing his first international match in 13 months, the controversial Pakistan fast bowler scalped three wickets in four short spells to prove that he still has fire in his belly to bowl full tilt at accomplished batsmen.

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But his comeback wasn't as telling as Pakistan would have expected it to be. The 34-year-old, who last played in a ODI against Australia in Abu Dhabi on May 3, 2009, did work up speeds in the region of 140 plus, but was far from his menacing best.

Evidently, he lacked rhythm and fitness, indicating that he could possibly break down during the course this four-nation tournament. His run-up was staggered and direction wasn't pin-point but he was never short of effort, putting his heart into every delivery he hurled at the Lankans.

Akthar bagged the scalps of Upul Tharanga (11), Chamara Kapugedara (2) and Farveez Maharoof (1).

Sri Lanka were well served by Jayawardene and captain Sangakkara who raised 83 fighting runs for the third wicket.

The hosts were in a spot of bother at 36 for two when the two most experienced batsmen in the side came up with the rescue act.

At 150 for five in the 32nd over, Lanka were still in the woods. But Mathews found responsive and gutsy allies in Kulasekara, with whom he raised 43 runs for the eighth wicket, and Malinga (12) to take his side to a winning total, a score that Pakistan eventually failed to chase.

Yuvraj vows to come back fitter

NEW DELHI: Shown the door for slump in form and criticised for poor fitness, Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday said he would come back stronger to answer his detractors with some of his trademark explosive batting.

The left-handed swashbuckler was dropped from the Indian team for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka after a string of poor performances, including the Twenty20 World Cup debacle.

His fitness was also criticised after the T20 World Cup and Yuvraj said he has been sweating it out at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to get back in shape.

"I has been tough for me but I am working on my body. I have been working on my fitness for the past 15 days. There were injuries in the past one year and they took time to settle down," Yuvraj said.

"It has been a tough year but things are getting better now. I would be back with the best of my form and fitness. The bat should always do the talking," he added.

Out of favour he might be with the selectors but Yuvraj has got the backing of his teammates with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and senior players like Virender Sehwag throwing their weight behind him.

"It's nice to see the support of the boys. It just shows the camaraderie in the team. I am doing my best to come back," he said.

"As a young kid you always dream of playing for India. That (India) logo on your head is what it is all about. I will also forever cherish that logo," he told 'Times Now'.

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It's a dream to play in World Cup finals: Tendulkar

LONDON: Arguably the most accomplished batsman of contemporary times, Sachin Tendulkar still has unfulfilled dreams, one of them being to win the World Cup for his team when the event comes to Asia next year.

Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in the Test and one-day format of the game, hopes to play in the final of the World Cup when it is jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh early next year.

"As far as the World Cup is concerned it is a process. We don't want to jump to the 50th floor straight away, we must start on the ground floor," he said.

"We must take it step-by-step but to get there would be a fascinating journey. It is our dream, not just mine but the entire nation, to get there. To play the final in Mumbai is something you can only dream of and everything has to come together," he added.

Tendulkar said if India played to their potential, there was a good chance of being in the finals of the event.

"I think we can do something we have been longing to do for quite some time," he said.

Part of the Test side which is currently the world number one in ICC rankings, Tendulkar said the tough part was not to get there but would be to maintain it.

"To be number one is special, it was our dream and our target to get to the number one spot in Test cricket," he said.

"We have had a good run in the last 20 months. Everyone wants to be number one and we cannot relax because there are other countries who want to be number one. It means a lot to us," he added.

The 37-year-old once again parried queries on his future maintaining that he would quit the moment he felt that he had stopped enjoying his game.

"I want to play for as long as possible and as long as I have the desire and the hunger I will carry on," he said.

"The day I do not want to get out of bed and do anything then I know it will be time to go in another direction," he added.

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