Tendulkar, Sehwag will be trump cards: Dhoni

Dambulla, Jan 27 (PTI) India might have beaten Sri Lanka 3-2 last August with a young bunch of cricketers but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said seniors Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag would be the key to the visitors' fortunes in the one-day series starting here tomorrow. Tendulkar and Sehwag were not part of the team last year with the former injuring himself in the final Test in Colombo before the ODIs while the latter was ruled out after an injury during training. "Sri Lanka are a strong team. A lot depends on the conditions here and we have to adapt quickly. But we have two experienced players in Tendulkar and Sehwag with us this time," he said at the pre-match press conference. Dhoni said he was aware of the threat from the home team's spin twins, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, but said his team was well prepared to face the challenge. He admitted his side won't be able to stop Muralitharan from becoming the highest wicket-taker in one-day cricket but said the veteran spin wizard will have to earn his wickets. "He is a brilliant bowler and has been very consistent. He is a champion bowler but we will make him work very hard for the record," said Dhoni. Already the world's leading wicket-taker in Tests with 769 scalps in 125 matches, 36-year-old Muralitharan needs just three wickets to surpass former Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram's mark of 502 in one-day internationals. PTI

Add to: del.icio.us | Digg