India Not Worried About Chasing No.1; SL Banking Heavily on Murali to Come Good

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Sreelata YellamrazuDec 1 2009

Brabourne Stadium is set to become the stage for India to pursue becoming the no.1 Test team in the world. However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is focussed on winning the series.

dhoni and india in the race

The Indian captain has said that his team will feel no pressure going into the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Mumbai but would rather focus on winning the series as the Brabourne Stadium hosts its first match in thirty-six years.

But winning the series will bring the title as a by product. And there is no reason why India should not set their sights high when it comes to claiming the crown. A country that has barely seen six Tests in a year has now the golden opportunity to stay on top, even though the battle with the current no.1, South Africa, and Sri Lanka on second place is really close.

Dhoni does not want the team to sway with ambition and allow Sri Lanka back into the series and also, harbour notions about breaking their jinx of not winning a Test on Indian soil.

But the Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, is openly stating that starting tomorrow Muttiah Muralitharan will remain the firm favourite to lead the attack and he is also confident that Murali will bounce back from the rather sedate road he has been on.

This, despite Muralitharan reporting suffering a side strain and also, with the leading spinner and wicket taker contemplating retiring sooner than his previously set deadlines. Muralitharan is openly stating that his body is beginning to wear thin at age thirty-seven and perhaps he would have to quit Test cricket to see if his body can hold up in the shorter format of the game. He was himself sceptical before the media, stating that the 2011 World Cup now appears distant.

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