India will play Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from Friday in a tri-series in Zimbabwe. The three teams will play each other twice and the top two sides will then play in the final of the tournament.
Both India and Sri Lanka have sent in second-string teams for the tournament, and have rested most of their top players. Suresh Raina is the captain of the Indian side and Tillakaratne Dilshan is the captain of Sri Lanka. Rather coincidentally, Zimbabwe have also gone in a new captain in Elton Chigumbura, who replaces Prosper Utseysa from the line-up. Utseya continues to play as an off-spinner in the side.
India:
Apart from the change in captaincy, India’s fast bowling attacks bears a totally new look. Vinay Kumar, Panjaj Singh, Umesh Yadav and Ashok Dinda are the four fast bowlers who will play in the tournament, and the things could interesting if the going gets tough – especially in the matches against Sri Lanka.
The batting will depend on the captain Raina himself, but he will need support from the pair of Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma, both of whom are playing, in essence for their places.
Players to watch out for:
- Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli
Sri Lanka:
Dilshan is the captain, but most importantly, he will look to garner the runs that he has missed in the recent past. This could mean that he opens the innings and gives himself much more time at the top of the order instead of languishing behind.
Apart from that, it will also be a test for the rest of the Sri Lankan batsmen, who had earlier played under the shadow of Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Jayasuriya. Muralitharan is out of the tournament as well, and the pair of Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis will have a lot to play for.
Players to watch out for:
- Dilshan, Randiv
Zimbabwe:
In recent times, their attack has revolved around spin bowlers, but for now, they will need to get in the pace bowlers given that their oppositions like spinners and the pitches will make it difficult for the slower bowlers. This is where Zimbabwe’s true test will lie.
Players to watch out for:
- Charles Coventry, Elton Chigumbura
