Full throttle

The Sri Lanka team has undergone a big change in attitude since the last time we toured India for a bilateral series, nearly 15 months ago. The focus of the team has become more honed and we have made great progress in terms of fitness, mental aptitude and diversifying our skills repertoire.

The laws of the game have also changed since we last toured. Gone are the Super Sub regulations, an innovation that ensured sides were picked in the hope of winning the toss and maximising the advantage of the one Super Sub. The Power Plays, though, which have added to the pace of the game, remain.

The Super Sub and Power Play rules had just come into ODI cricket during that tour and we were then in the process of experimenting and actually getting used to them. What was confusing then has become much clearer now as we embark on the final series before the much-awaited World Cup.

The first two ODIs of this series promise to burden the teams with a bit more pressure than actually winning the games. This is because these are the last two games that either side has to try out players for the one or two spots up for grabs before the ICC deadline of February 13 for the announcement of the final squads.

The selectors, coaches and captains will all be focused on making sure that the playing combinations are those that will be taken to the World Cup. The players will carry into the games that much more anticipation and hope of performing to be included in the final 15s. Add to this the intense scrutiny of the media analysing and picking apart the pros and cons of the various combinations that are played and there is definitely heightened pressure in the build-up.

But the main responsibility of the Sri Lanka team is to make sure that we always try and maintain control of our core processes. Our physical preparation in terms of fitness and skill work should be practiced with the same excellent standards that we have set for ourselves.

Indeed, one factor behind our recent resurgence has been the acceptance by all individual players of the need to be constantly challenged at practice. Each practice session has been an exercise in purpose. There is something specific to be achieved from each and every fielding, batting or bowling drill. Each task is approached with the specific objective of getting better.

Our focus mentally has to be on making sure that we think of this series as a separate entity to the World Cup: a series that we are here to win, a series which gives us another opportunity to build confidence on and progress onwards towards building a winning team.

The Indians are always a tough side to play at home. Yet, of late, they have been a little unsettled and have lacked a unified, collective focus. The form of their core players has been in question and has provided opposition sides a chink in the armour to exploit.

And yet in the past month they have shown that they are prepared to put in match-winning performances when asked of them, as was seen in their recent series versus the West Indies. The fanatical crowd support that they enjoy at home seems to fuel the enthusiasm and ego, propelling them to score a full 40-50 runs more than they gather overseas.

Our sole practice match - even though not against the best opposition - was one in which we made sure that we kept our winning ways intact. Against a young, raw, opposition we stuck to our strategies and focused on our processes. Once in control, we made sure that there was never a moment in which we relaxed or relented.

The new additions to our side, Nuwan Kulasekera and Nuwan Zoysa, showed that they were hungry for international cricket by putting in strong bowling performances, the kind they will need to maintain consistently to be pushing for selection from here on.

In the absence of Muttiah Muralitharan the responsibility of being the main spinner falls on Malinga Bandara. The fact that we have on tour his main competition for a place in the form of the returning Upul Chandana creates an interesting situation that promises to spur both players to put in improved performances.

Bandara has the attitude, variation and belief that is often seen in players that have been exposed to intense levels of competition both in domestic and international cricket. His year on the sidelines of this side has hardened his resolve and his exposure to county cricket with Gloucestershire has broadened his thinking.

Chandana, through his performances in domestic cricket and with the A team, has shown that he is determined to not accept half measures in his quest to regain his place in the national side. His value lies not only in his bowling but in his batting. Chandana has streamlined his batting technique. The flamboyance and risk-taking of his early days has been compartmentalised to be drawn upon only in times of dire need. Instead, he is a player who now puts value on his wicket and has accepted the need of spending proper time at the crease in order to accumulate runs. Both Bandara and Chandana will become key in balancing our bowling and batting line-ups.

Our core batting lie-up has remained intact for a while but the first two games will offer up the opportunity for Tillakaratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold and Chamara Silva to, once and for all, put to rest the doubts over their ability in the middle and late middle order. Theirs is the hardest position to bat in ODI cricket. It requires players to continually adapt to different game situations and asks of them a steely resolve and an absolute belief in their own abilities to finish and win matches.

I have no doubt that they are the three most capable players in Sri Lanka to do that. The only thing they are short of is the confidence that comes with spending quality time in the middle in a match situation. There is no better situation then than the one offered in India on turning tracks, in the heat of the game, with a packed stadium full of screaming India fans wishing you nothing but ill.

As a side, we take pride in having built a culture of enjoyment, commitment and belief in which to grow. We expect nothing short of maintaining our own high standards. For us as a team these four games are not about the World Cup, they are not about the atmosphere of the grounds in India, they are not about the Indian team or its devoted legions of fans. For us, these four games are about ourselves. It is about our preparation, our own individual abilities and our firm belief that we are building towards a side capable of being the best it can be.