Saturday night fever

With only one match left to decide the new World Cup champion, India will take on runner-up of 2007 World Cup Sri Lanka at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai today.

Both the teams are bit circumspect about deciding their final eleven with injuries to key players creating a bit of confusion for the captains.

India have already ruled out Ashish Nehra because of an injured finger with Sri Lanka yet to decide whether to include Muttiah Muralitharan, who will retire after the World Cup, in the final eleven.

The mood in Mumbai is upbeat with the home fans expecting a title triumph for the Men in Blue. Kumar Sangakkara also termed India favourites in a shrewd move to put additional pressure on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team. Dhoni, however, chose not to play the mind games, insisting that he is focussed on deciding his final eleven rather than unduly worry about what the opposition would come up with in the decider.

Dhoni, who is the captain of the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings, where Muralitharan was a team-mate, understands how committed Murali would be for the team’s cause, and the Indian captain expects the wily off-spinner to play the final eleven if he is half-fit.

The Indian skipper has talked about the bouncy nature of the Mumbai pitch, indicating that he might be inclined to include the Kerala pacer S. Sreesanth, who missed out after proving expensive in the initial game against Bangladesh, in the final. With the Lankans being good players against spinners, he might resist the temptation of including Ravichandran Ashwin, who played well whenever he got a chance, in the final eleven.

Perhaps it might also be a ploy to confuse the Sri Lankans about the strategy he would adopt in the final and Ashwin might be Dhoni’s choice in the final eleven. Though Sreesanth could generate pace and swing, he could be an expensive option as well, considering the splendid form of Sri Lankan opening duo Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga.

Sangakkara, meanwhile, focuses on the strength of his squad and the Lankans hold a clear edge in bowling, even if they miss the services of Murali in the final. Lasith Malinga wouldn’t have lot of wickets to his credit in this tournament, but he is one of the most lethal pacers in international cricket. With only a few tickets made available for fans, they have been deprived of an opportunity to be part of the final.

Around 3,000 VIPs are expected to attend the final, including Indian President Pratibha Patil, Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s children Rahul and Priyanka.

Captains want to win toss today Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara would be hoping to win the toss in the final at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Both the teams are in good form throughout this tournament and the toss could prove a crucial factor in deciding the winner with the Mumbai pitch likely to assist the spinners in the second innings. Everyone in this team ‘understands’ his role Mahendra Singh Dhoni likes to be different while approaching a crucial game. He used to pick strange combinations for crunch matches, even surprising his opposition. Another chance for Sreesanth? Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not a big fan of S Sreesanth, who used to give headaches to the Indian captain by creating all sorts of trouble during matches. But Dhoni knows what Sreesanth is capable of if the Kerala pacer applies his mind a bit more judiciously. Unprecedented security for final in Mumbai When India and Sri Lanka play their World Cup final here on Saturday, security forces will be on full alert outside the Wankhede stadium. Murali will play even if he is 50 per cent fit As Sri Lanka squares off against India today, it’s clearly good news for Sri Lankan cricket. They are in their second successive finals and that speaks volumes for their consistency and the production line of cricketers. First Slip—I am at home Another few hours and the road show goes into the straight. By tomorrow it will all over, one big anti-climax. Khalaas. And you know what is teeing me off, like really going up my nose, it is that I just cannot seem to get into the mood and pull out the stops on the sense of excitement. Cup means a lot for ‘Lanka nation’ Kumar Sangakkara is an influential captain who leads the team from the front. He has been consistent with his batting so far and has scored 417 runs from seven innings with an impressive average of 104.25.The Lankan skipper knows India would be a formidable opponent in Mumbai for the final encounter. Veteran off-spinner feeling upbeat Will Muttiah Muralitharan play the World Cup final? With the Mumbai game being the final international appearance for the wily off-spinner, cricket pundits believe Murali will play the match even if he is half-fit.