Cuttack, Dec 20 (IANS) Sans captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India will be looking to forget their Nagpur peformance when they take on Sri Lanka in the third One-Day International at the Barabati Stadium here Monday.
Dhoni, who scored 72 and 107 in the last two matches, has been handed a two-ODI ban for his team's slow over rate during their three-wicket loss in the high-scoring match in Nagpur Friday. The spotlight will be on stand-in captain Virender Sehwag, who has been in a good form in the series.
Dhoni's absence will surely be felt in the middle order but Yuvraj Singh, who has missed the last two matches due to finger fracture and flu, is likely to return to bolster the batting.
Sri Lanka's captain Kumar Sangakkara feels that the absence of Dhoni will help his team take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
'I hope it (Dhoni's absence) is a factor. He has been one of the players who has been in form, so obviously it's a blow to lose him,' Sangakkara said.
'The only edge we can take is if we get him (Sehwag) out early. We will go all out and make sure that he is out cheaply,' he said.
But Sri Lanka's worries have also compounded with injuries, the latest casulty being Nagpur's winner Angelo Matthews who strained his quadricep muscle during the game. The visitor's have already lost spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando due to injuries.
'We too have received a setback. We lost out on Angelo Mathews. He has gone back home,' Sangakkara said.
Sangakkara said that it was difficult to find a slot for Sanath Jayasuriya in the playing XI.
'Jayasuriya is a legend but the combination we played in Nagpur, it was hard to fit him in. Sometimes, the combinations do not allow certain players, even some great players, to get in the side. They all take it very well. We look for direct and honest communication. It's no different to anyone.'
'As a player, you've got to accept decisions that are sometimes fair or sometimes unfairly done. But at the end of the day, all decisions are made for the interest of the side. Be it any kind of player, senior or new to the side, it does not matter. If you have something to tell them, you have got to tell them. It has to be direct and sometimes it has to be subtle, depending on individual character,' Sangakkara said.
'At the end of the day, whether you take it in the right spirit or take it badly, it will show your real character. But all our guys accept the fact that you got to perform to stay in the side,' he added.
India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (captain-wicketkeeper), Mahela Jayawardene, Thilina Kandamby, Sanath Jayasuriya, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis, Chanaka Welegedara, Lasith Malinga