As I predicted in my column last week, the one-day contest with the Indians is turning out to be an exciting one. We won the first game in Dambulla in a convincing manner but, as it happened in the test series, came down in the second game-even though the bowlers tried hard to make a match of it.

The track in Dambulla doesn’t see a lot of regular cricket played on it although it is now being used to stage one-day internationals frequently. That maybe part of the reason but it is fast acquiring a reputation for low scores.When Dhoni won the toss they probably had this factor influencing their decision to bat first. I am not quite sure whether that was the correct decision because the ball always seam at Dambulla and early wickets could have put a team in trouble.

That is why a score of 180 to 200 is always more than competitive at this venue. This was evident in the first game where the wicket was two paced with a sponge-like bounce at one end. Nevertheless, it was not one of those deadly unplayable tracks.

I was happy to be able to remove Gambhir very early especially since he was the man in form in the absence of Sehwag. India never really recovered from the slide that set in, with Kuley doing more damage at the other end.

Mendis and Murali did the middle order in and even on the Dambulla wicket, a target under 150 was not challenging, although we had our hiccups, losing Sanath and Sanga early.

With only one day between the first and second games, we are expected to train hard. But what it also means is that if there are any niggles that make us less than one hundred per cent fit, we shouldn’t be taking the risk of playing again too soon and aggravating that injury.

I had a stiff hamstring during the first game and we thought that, with three more games in this series remaining and the Champion’s Trophy due in September it was not worth the gamble of playing on Wednesday.

I am undergoing a scan before today’s game and whether I will play or not will depend on the results of the scan. I would play only if I am totally fit, physically. I have had back injuries in the past, so I need to be extra careful.

It was Thushara’s bat that did the talking in the second match that we lost

One day cricket especially is a tough game which takes a heavy toll on your body and I don’t wish to be added to the already long list of injured fast bowlers that include Maha and Malinga!

The good news though is that Dilhara played on Wednesday after a long lay off and it appears that he has recovered now. As a result, we now have quite a few fast bowling options and it is vital that all of them remain in peak physical fitness.

I suppose it could be argued that we lost Wednesday’s game in the first few overs of the match when Zaheer reduced us to 10 for 3. The track was different from the first game, the ball was seaming and we would have done well to negotiate the first ten overs without losing wickets but it was not to be.
It was not our best batting performance but we take heart from the fact that we did our best to create a contest of it-which India couldn’t do against us in the first game- reducing India to 75 for 5 at one stage. One more wicket at that juncture and we may have yet made a match of it!

It was good to see our bowlers being challenged to play the role of batsmen because the top order had failed and they responded really well: the last four wickets added 98 runs! Having bowlers develop their batting skills is part and parcel of the modern game and we are moving in the right direction in this aspect.

Thilina Thushara and Kuley batted really well to give some respectability to our total but in the end, our score proved to be about 15 to 20 runs short: a score of 165 would have had the Indians worried.

Then, they impressed with the ball too. Kuley is having a good run, Thushara played really well in the second game and there was even more evidence that Ajantha continues to baffle the Indians- which should stand us in good stead for the remainder of the series.

There is some concern about Sanga opening the innings and whether this is affecting his batting. This problem arises when we play with a ‘six batsmen-five bowlers’ combination when we have little choice but to send Sanga to open the innings. We would probably look at again this issue.

The boys are now back in Colombo and training hard for today’s encounter. The Premadasa Stadium usually produces high scoring games, so the crowds could be in for a treat.

Of course, this being a day-night encounter we would naturally have to take into account the dew factor and the problems of playing under lights. The crowds in Colombo, starved of international one day cricket for some time now will I am sure be there in their thousands. The atmosphere at the Premadasa Stadium is always electrifying.

The series is now even and that adds interest to the contest. Whoever wins today’s match will hold the upper hand and we believe we have done enough to convince ourselves that Wednesday was only one of those days when batting collapses happen-and that we are still the better team.