India bat first in the series opener

The One-dayers are over and Team India is back in the whites, against the men from the Emerald Isles. It’s the first Test of the three-match series and the news is, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to bat first at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad.

The decision was an obvious one, with the Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara too, expressing his desire to have a bat first on this track.

As for the pitch, India will thank their stars it is not similar to the one on which they were bundled out for 76 in 2008 against South Africa. The surface is hard and has a hint of grass at the ends. Like a typical Indian strip, it is expected to produce runs in abundance at first, before turning into a spin-machine.

Early start means there will be a bit of swing for the faster bowlers but once the first half an hour is seen through, the batsmen can make merry on the dry and flat Motera track.

Teams:

The Indians have decided to field a very expected side with Sreesanth, Ojha, M Vijay and Badrinath warming the bench. Zaheer Khan’s return will be a major boost while the batting line-up with Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman can intimidate the best of oppositions.

The composition of both teams is almost similar as Sri Lanka too, have gone with a combination of two spinners, two fast bowlers and seven batsmen. Ajantha Mendis has been left out while Dammika Prasad gets a game.

India: V Sehwag, G Gambhir, R Dravid, SR Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni (C, Wk), Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, I Sharma, A Mishra

Sri Lanka: TM Dilshan, NT Paranavitana, KC Sangakkara (C), DPMD Jayawardene, TT Samaraweera, AD Mathews, HAPW Jayawardene (Wk), KTGD Prasad, HMRKB Herath, M Muralitharan, UWMBCA Welegedara