India vs Sri Lanka

India vs Sri Lanka, 5th ODI Match, Harare Sports Club, Harare

India vs Sri Lanka, 5th ODI Match, Harare Sports Club, Harare, On Jun 5, 2010 from 07:30 GMT | 13:00 IST Onwards

With their chances of making the final hanging by a thread, a beleaguered India will have to win and win it big when they take on Sri Lanka in a do-or-die match in the cricket tri-series here on Saturday.

Smarting from the ignominy of being beaten twice by Zimbabwe in the tournamenttheir first back-to-back defeats against the traditional minnows Suresh Raina and his teammates have their back against the wall with the prospect of an early exit looming large.

Given the scenario, India, who currently have just four points from just one win, have to beat the Lankans on Saturday with a bonus point and hope that the outcome of Monday’s Zimbabwe-Sri Lanka match also goes their way. win and a bonus point will take India’s tally to nine points, level with Zimbabwe. Raina and his men would then hope that Zimbabwe spring another surprise and upstage the Lankans, who have five points, in the final league encounter.

The Zimbabweans thoroughly exposed batting frailties and though the Lankans also have a relatively inexperienced squad, they would look to exploit the known chink in India’s armour. The openers have been a letdown and Raina had no hesitation admitting that the failure of Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik has hurt the side. Rohit Sharma hit back-to-back centuries but it is unfair to expect him to bail out the side.

Lot would depend on Kohli and Raina as well, while Yusuf Pathan will also have to contribute, more so when the chips are down. India’s bowling has been largely toothless and none from the attack has made much of an impact. Umesh Yadav and Ashok Dinda have been inconsistent and though they have wickets to show, their economy rates are nothing to talk about.

The Lankan have played just two matches so far and while they were clinical against Zimbabwe, they just couldn’t accelerate at the right time against India. But the team which comprises some new faces and some comeback men can still prove to be a quite a handful for India.