2nd ODI: Hurt and embarrassed, India seek revenge against Sri Lanka

Handed an embarrassing defeat in the inaugural ODI a wounded India would look to get even against an inspired Sri Lanka in a doordie second match here tomorrowThe loss not only hurt but was also an eyeopener for a team that has been dominant all throughout the long home season Proving that the opening day surrender to Sri Lanka pacers at the Eden Gardens was no aberration the Indian batting stood exposed once again against the moving ball Chandigarh wont be as cold as Dharamsala but the pacers should come into play considering it is another 1130 am start to the daynight affair In that case it will be another test for the Indian batsmen if the home team happens to bat first in a mustwin contestBarring old warhorse MS Dhoni the highlyrated batsmen seemed like sitting ducks every time Suranga Lakmal pitched the ball up in the offstump corridor After the experienced Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan fell early it was an ideal opportunity for the likes of Shreyas Iyer Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey to weather the nitial storm and make a big score However they all came a cropper and if it was not for Dhonis fighting 65 India could well be out for their lowest ever totalIf it was one person who would be gutted looking at his teams performance it would be captain Virat Kohli who opted out of the series to get married to Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma in Italy Rohit leading the side in Kohlis absence was not amused either in his first ODI as captain Though he promised that the team will learn from Dharamsala debacle and bounce back in the remaining two games It is important to thrive in these conditions and come out good It is an eye opener for all of us Rohit had said after the sevenwicket loss He is unlikely to tinker with the playing eleven but there is a possibility that Ajinkya Rahane is picked to shoreup the inexperienced batting especially the middle order Rahane sat out of the opening game as the team management only sees him as the backup opener in the presence of Sharma and DhawanHowever he has batted in the middleorder in a few games out of the 84 ODIs he has played In the bowling department the worry for India will be the performance of Hardik Pandya who again leaked runs as the hosts tried to defend a paltry 112 He is picked as the bowling allrounder for the South Africa Test series and needs to be at the top of his game ahead of the crucial tour starting next month Considering Sri Lanka cantered to victory in 204 overs spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav did not come on to bowl They would be itching to get back into action after a months gapWhile India find themselves in an unusual situation at home Sri Lanka have a golden opportunity to seal the series after ending a 12match losing streak with a thumping win in Dharamsala New Zealand too were on the cusp of history last month but faltered after winning the series opener as India bounced back to win the next two games The win must have done a world of good to the islanders confidence after the beating they have taken at the hands of India at home and away this seasonLakmal was lethal again on a helping pitch while Angelo Mathews too made a promising return with the ballAlso effective on a seaming surface was pacer Nuwan Pradeep The batting too clicked and completed the modest chase rather comfortably As put by Rohit after the match another 7080 runs and it could have been a different story with the ball still moving in the evening Teams India Rohit Sharma captain Shikhar DhawanAjinkya Rahane Shreyas Iyer Manish Pandey Washington Sundar Dinesh Karthik MS Dhoni Hardik Pandya Axar Patel Kuldeep Yadav Yuzvendra Chahal Jasprit Bumrah Bhuvneshwar Kumar Siddarth Kaul Sri Lanka Thisara Perera captain Upul Tharanga Danushka Gunathilaka Lahiru Thirimanne Angelo Mathews Asela Gunaratne Niroshan Dickwella Chaturanga de Silva Akila Dananjaya Suranga Lakmal Nuwan Pradeep Sadeera Samarawickrama Dhananjaya de Silva Dushmantha Chameera Sachith Pathirana Kusal Perera