Jayawardene : There Will Be More Runs

After two low scoring games in the series for both sides, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene expects his batsmen to come good on the batting friendly track of Premadasa and said that Chaminda Vaas was shaping up well to play in Sunday's match. On talking about the fragile Indian batting Mahela said that "these are the players who are playing for quite some time. So you can't say that. It is just that probably you should give credit to our bowlers. So I think I am sure they will come stongly and we just have to be prepared.

Don't forget Fab Four's Contribution : Kumble

India Test captain Anil Kumble has come out strongly in defence of the starry Indian middle - order who came a cropper against the Sri Lankan spin duo of Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan in the recently concluded three match test series which the visitors lost 1-2.

"I don't know who gave this tag - Fab Four. They have done so much for the Indian cricket over the last 15 years. Agreed, they failed in this Test series, but it happens in cricket. We should not forget their contribution in the past. The Fab Four the leg spinner was referring to - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman - performed much below expectations in the series.

Too Early For Mendis Mania : Kapil Dev

The legendary Kapil Dev praised Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis for his splendid show against India so far but felt that the medis was going overboard with the coverage of the bowler, who had to still prove his credentials. "No doubt that Mendis's performance in the on-going India Sri Lanka series is very good but the media has highlighted a bit too prominently. It is too early to say if he will continue to perform like this for long.

Regarding growth of the ICL, Kapil said that it is just a one year old baby and how could one expect it to grow overnight.

India vs. Sri Lanka 2nd ODI

Though India won the second one day international match but Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he was a bit worried when India lost seven wickets while chasing a victory target of 143 and lauded debutant Subramaniam Badrinath for his responsible knock.

Brief Scores : Sri Lanka 142 all out (38.3 overs) Thushara 44. Bowling Zaheer 4/21, Praveen 3/34. India 143/7 (39.4 overs) Dhoni 39. Bowling Mendis 2/22.

Mohammad Asif's B Sample Tests Positive

Mohammad Asif today found himself in deep trouble as the dope test of his B sample has also tested positive for a contraband, leaving the Pakistan pacer facing the possibility of being banned for two years. " I can only confirm the B sample test has come positive but the result of both the tests are different which is strange to us ". Asif's lawyer Shahid Karim said from Geneva. "Since he played in an Indian domestic event and was also tested there, it's not us who are going to launch an inquiry into the case." PCB's chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said".

India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI

The Indian batting once again failed as the visitors were thrashed by eight wickets in the first one day international match at Dambulla. Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the target in less than 35 overs as skipper Mahela Jayawardene hit a breezy half century.

Brief Scores : India 146 all out (46 overs) Yuvraj 23. Bowling Mendis 3/21, Muralitharan 3/37. Sri Lanka 147/2 (34.5 overs) Mahela 61 n.o., Kapugedera 45 n.o. Bowling Patel 2/32.

Good Start Is The Key : Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Team India ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said that the start from the openers was very important and there would be added responsibility on the opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the one dayers. On questioning about Virat Kohli Dhoni said " Depends on whether he gets a chance. There is pressure because he has come in place of the maestro Sachin Tendulkar. It's not that he is replacing Sachin Tendulkar. He's second in line. The extra batsman before him will get a chance and then Badrinath will get a chance."