EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 18 SPORT SATURDAY, JULY 6, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE India needs to shed the rust that has crept into its campaign Though the Men in Blue have secured a semifinal berth, it remains to be seen if Jadeja will be picked for the final league game against Sri Lanka berth has been secured but set for Dinesh Karthik to step start campaign but has for now it is advantage India. more needs to be done up, while M.S. Dhoni has to thrived on the will of its se­ The teams (from): ahead of the knockouts. The hasten his strike­rate. niors, be it a Lasith Malinga India: Virat Kohli (captain), Ro­ contest against the men from The bowling has been or Angelo Mathews and the hit Sharma, M.S. Dhoni, K.L. Ra­ the Emerald Island, presents fine, barring that bruising audacity of youth as reflect­ hul, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit an opportunity to enhance stint against England and the ed by Avishka Fernando. Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar obvious strengths and shed latter is most likely to be at Skipper Dimuth Karuna­ Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuv­ neshwar Kumar, Mohammed the minuscule rust that has the opposition’s corner in ratne would take heart from Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kul­ crept in during the cam­ the semifinal. But that possi­ the fact that a fortnight ago, deep Yadav, Rishabh Pant and paign. bility could change if India at this same venue, his men Mayank Agarwal. It remains to be seen if the plays to form and defeats Sri had humbled England. An K .C. Vijaya Kumar Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne management would pick Ra­ Lanka while Australia suffers encore against India would (captain), Avishka Fernando, Leeds vindra Jadeja, who hasn’t help the Sri Lankans leave Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malin­ The Long Room at Headin­ had a match yet. As a substi­ with bigger smiles when ga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan gley lives up to its prefix but tute, Jadeja did all the right what strikes the eye are the things on the field but off it, wooden boards mounted on he has erred in his judge­ the walls. Brownish grainy ment. The allrounder’s out­ wood inscribed with names burst on Twitter, against of cricketers who either Sanjay Manjrekar’s critical struck centuries or bagged a remarks, is a distraction that five­for in Tests. We have could have been avoided. heard about the honours Other than this unsavoury board at Lord’s and the one episode, Virat Kohli’s men here is equally resplendent. have shut out the noise and From the Indian perspec­ gone about their task of play­ tive, the list features Vijay ing hard and then found Manjrekar, M.A.K. Pataudi, time to switch­off and recup­ Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav erate. a blip and succumbs to they exit London’s Heathrow Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and South Africa. The table will Airport. This is Malinga’s last Perera, Thisara Perera, Kasun Roger Binny to gaze at and Karthik needs to step up flip, India will lead and World Cup game and he has Rajitha, Dhananjaya de Silva, leap back in time. But for the The top troika of Rohit Shar­ would take on the fourth­ blazed bright in his twilight, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thi­ Men in Blue, besides draw­ ma, K.L. Rahul and Kohli placed New Zealand. But roaring with delight and still rimanne, Isuru Udana and Jef­ frey Vandersay. ing some inspiration from have scored the bulk and it is these are hypothetical situa­ promising a wicket in each of history, it is time to sternly time for the middle order to tions and what matters is the his spells. If he could dismiss Umpires: Chris Gaffaney and look ahead as Saturday’s galvanise and add more clash on hand. his Mumbai Indians captain Paul Wilson; Third umpire: Ian game involving Sri Lanka adrenaline. Hardik Pandya Rohit early, may be, the face­ Gould; Match referee: Chris Broad. Leading by example: Virat Kohli, who has been in ominous form, will hope to continue in the looms into view. and Rishabh Pant did rea­ Taking heart from win off pitting neighbours could same vein. * STU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES A World Cup semifinal sonably well and the stage is Sri Lanka has had a stop­ throw up possibilities. But Match starts at 3 p.m. IST. ‘We do have the semifinal at the back of our minds’ ‘Have a plan for Rohit, Virat...’ Karthik feels that India has the ability to handle pressure and backs itself to chase or set totals Karunaratne hopes to win against India and finish on a high Special Correspondent ture stars. And in the bow­ allow our cricketers to go K.C. Vijaya Kumar For me to come here and you have to make sure Leeds ling, (Lasith) Malinga and and play in the Indian Pre­ Leeds <> and sit out the initial that you stand up on that day. Dimuth Karunaratne want­ Nuwan Pradeep have done mier League, Big Bash Dinesh Karthik’s career has bit and then get a ed his team to leave the well. These are the positive League and county cricket. World Cup debut: I have been a tale of the patient chance against World Cup on a winning points I will take from this wait. He was part of India’s been around for 15 years. So Bangladesh, was note. The Sri Lankan cap­ tournament. 2007 World Cup squad to the to play that game, I felt really something that I was tain is aware of the challeng­ Weak domestic cricket: These are the things I am West Indies but the wicket­ happy. For me to come here es in a tussle involving India In Sri Lanka, we have only expecting from the cricket looking forward to. keeper­batsman never got a and sit out the initial bit and at Headingley on Saturday. one domestic season and board and hopefully they game in a doomed campaign. Dinesh Karthik then get a chance against But hope floats and he when the players come will take a good decision He finally made his debut in Bangladesh, was something spoke at length with the me­ through to the international and make us strong at the achieve personally and as a cricket’s global tournament that I was looking forward to. dia here on Friday. level, there is a huge gap. domestic level and produce team as well. We want to play during the recent match I would like to do the best I Excerpts. We have to play more and good players for the future. our best game. We do have can. I have been waiting for against Bangladesh at Bir­ Immediate goal: We have the semifinal at the back of this opportunity, the hunger mingham’s Edgbaston. to win the game to end up in our minds but we are profes­ is there. Karthik, who spoke to re­ sional enough to play a very the fifth or sixth position. porters at Headingley here That’s our plan and we in­ clinical game against Sri Lan­ Role definition: When I go Malinga eyeing T20I WC on Friday, insisted that ka. in at No. 7, I need to assess tend to do our best. We are though the semifinals linger Special Correspondent Semifinal prophecies: It’s the situation and play ac­ playing on the same track close, the Men in Blue are fo­ Leeds a World Cup semifinal and cordingly. If we need to cross that was used in the match cusing on Saturday’s contest it’s hard to say which team is the line when we are batting between the West Indies Lasith Malinga clarified against Sri Lanka. Excerpts: a threat. The beauty of a second, I need to pace myself and Afghanistan. Hopefully that it would be Top priority: First up is Sri tournament like this is that accordingly. If you are bat­ we can get some turn. premature to discuss his Lanka. There are a few things once you hit the semifinal ting first, then make sure we Stifling Rohit & company: ODI retirement and added a few players would want to mark, it’s just that one day get to the par score that’s re­ We have a plan for Rohit that he is keen to play quired. (Sharma), Virat (Kohli) and next year’s T20I World all in the top six but we have Cup. “I just want to meet Malinga. * REUTERS The chase: India have been to execute those plans well. the Sri Lankan Cricket good chasers and we are very They are dangerous and Board and ask them about and I am looking forward confident of chasing. As for once they get set, they will what they are expecting to playing that T20 World other teams, there could be get big runs. We will try to from me. According to Cup. I don’t think I will scoreboard­pressure. As a restrict them and hopefully that, I will make my make any decision on my team we have the ability to get Rohit early. decision. We have to play ODI career without handle pressure and we Inherent strengths: If you the 2020 T20 World Cup’s meeting the board,” the would back ourselves to take the batting, Avishka qualifying round. It is a Sri Lankan spearhead chase and get the totals that Seeking top form: Kuldeep will look to bounce back from the Fernando is playing really very crucial time for us said. we believe we can achieve. hammering he got against England.