Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis are the only barriers between India and the Star Cricket Asia Cup.

India's batting line up will face a stern test in the finals in Karachi with the experienced Chaminda Vaas and rookie Mendis all set to make their way back into the Lankan bowling attack, making it more incisive than what it was in their last Super Four game when India made mincemeat of a decent total of 308.

Mendis, the highest wicket-taker in this tournament, and Muralitharan are in top form and they are sure to make run scoring in the middle overs extremely painful for the Indian batsman. Mendis would be a total surprise package as not even one of the Indian batsmen have faced him earlier. With the kind of variations he has in his armoury, the spinner is expected to make a huge impact on this famed batting line-up.

There is no doubt about the potential of the Indian batting. All the batsmen can switch around positions amongst the top seven and still be comfortable. Suresh Raina finally seems to be coming of age with two centuries and two half centuries in five matches making him the highest run-scorer in the tournament.

The pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, regarded as the top opening combination in world cricket today, have been absolutely devastating and Team India will be hoping for one more of their rollicking partnerships in the finals. Yuvraj till now has had a quite tournament but the finals will be the stage which he might want to make it his own.

Skipper MS Dhoni has really led his troops well and has performed brilliantly both in front and behind the wickets. The way he nurtured his limited bowling resources and restricted the powerful Lankan batting line-up to a chaseable total of 308 was commendable. He also chipped in with a more then useful 67 with the bat after India lost two quick wickets.

The bowling is a bit of worry for Dhoni. It has not looked as sharp on these batting friendly conditions as it looked in some pitches in Australia. The bowlers especially Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar are looking very tired and the spin department definitely needs a face lift though Pragyan Ojha did well in the last game.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka is looking strong. Kumar Sangakkara has been in prolific form, having hit three centuries in five matches. Jayasuriya has also given starts that he is so well known for and if both of these were not enough Skipper Jayawardene gave all signs of him returning to form with a fifty against the Indian attack. They also have a few batsmen like Chamara Kapugedara and Tilekeratne Dilshan who can get stuck into the Indian bowling attack and be thorn in the flesh.

Previously, Sri Lanka and India have met five times in the Asia Cup Final, with India having a 3-2 advantage over their opponents. Interestingly, Sri Lanka have only won the Asia Cup playing in their own backyard, so this will be something that they will be looking to change come the final at Karachi.

It promises to be a hotly-contested affair with both sides keen to stamp their authority on subcontinent cricket. The better team will take the title for sure. But with the wicket being a batsman's paradise so far, one can expect a high-scoring affair. The chase is then on!