Sri Lanka are the favourites but Virender Sehwag can spoil their party, feels former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar.

By Joshua Nath
 
 
Previewing the final of the tri-series, Sanjay Manjrekar feels that though Sri Lanka can be termed as the favourites, Virender Sehwag can pull it off for Team India.
 
“If we apply cold cricketing logic, then the better-balanced Sri Lankans are favourites to win the final. However, there is Virender Sehwag who can make the difference for India. If Sehwag fires in the final, then we all know what kind of impact he can have in the game. He can tilt the balance in India’s favour,” said Manjrekar.
 
Manjrekar also cautioned Team India, saying that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brigade can’t just rest on the cushion that the Delhi dazzler provides, but other batsmen also need to work extra hard to be ready for the D-day. “Apart from Sehwag, all other Indian batsmen have struggled in the series so Dhoni must not take it for granted that the dashing opener will always come to the rescue. India must do something about their batting which has been very disappointing so far,” he said.
 
Chalking out a plan for Team India to strengthen their batting attack, Manjrekar, who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs for India, says skipper Dhoni must go in with a seven-batsman strategy and he himself must come up the order. “I believe the seven batsmen theory is a worthwhile risk to take. India need to bolster their batting and cover themselves just in case Sehwag fails. I really think Dhoni should come up the batting order and let the free-flowing batsmen like Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli to play at number 5 and 6. Even trying out attacking left-hander Saurabh Tiwary at number 7 can be a good option. He may play his first game in the series. But often young players do well when they are thrown in the deep end of the pool,” Manjrekar added.
 
Praveen Kumar (8 wickets), Ashish Nehra (7), Ishant Sharma (5) have been the main wicket-takers for Team India in the tri-series and the latest to join the pace attack Munaf Patel too picked up three scalps in the previous match versus New Zealand. The 45-year-old cricket ESPN Star Sports commentator also said that the 4-pronged pace attack should not be disturbed going into the final. “I like the 4-seamer attack that India employed in the last match and that combination must not be disturbed. India can certainly do without a genuine spinning option as on these tracks, seamers have been more than handy,” the Mumbaikar said.
 
Finally, Manjrekar sees Saturday's final as an exciting prospect especially after the way both teams played in their last encounters. “Looking at the way the resurgent Indians came out on top against New Zealand and the mauling that Sri Lanka gave India in their last match, who knows we could be in for a thrilling contest that we all are looking forward to,” he concluded.
 
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