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Indian Test Team for Sri Lanka – Swot Analysis

Selectors declared the sixteen men squad for the three tests against Lankan Lions in their den. While Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted out of the test series to have some rest, Yuvraj Singh has too been rested if we were to take BCCI’s word. Wasim Jaffer and Irfan Pathan miss the cut while Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha are the new faces in the test format and Gautam Gambhir catches the flight too. Absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni sees Sehwag step into the shoes of the Vice Captain.

India has a very strong batting line up with Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman at numbers three, four, five and six and now Gambhir joining Sehwag at the top. Gambhir’s entry into the test side has been overdue and he wouldn’t want to let go this chance. Jaffer might be a technically more correct batsman but its Gambhir’s positive intent and attitude that will never let him be dominated and fail for long. Dinesh Karthik will probably get a nod ahead of Parthiv Patel on the back of his wicket keeping credentials which will to be at their best keeping to Kumble and Harbhajan.

Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will be the other two bowlers in the playing eleven. Pacers are unlikely to get much assistance from the Ceylon pitches. They will at the most look to exploit some early morning freshness or reverse swing the older cherry. Sri Lankans have played spin pretty well but the class of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan is sure to have a say at some stage. Still Indian bowlers will find it tough to bowl Sri Lanka out twice in all matches. Sanath Jayasuriya’s retirement from the longer version will however lessen the number of mysteries for the Indians.

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