India leave for another tri-series

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India, led by new captain Suresh Raina, leave for another tri-series (for a change, it is a ODI tournament & of course, with a new-look side). This is a great opportunity for the Indian team to prove that their domestic (including IPL) performances were not a flash in the pan. Raina, of course, has given the right statements about being excited about his new role.

The youngsters in the team are raring to go and prove their wares in the international arena. The new bowlers included in the team are Pankaj Singh, Ashok Dinda and offspinner R Ashwin. Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar are the others who form the pace quartet - both also young guns, who will be making their debut. The captain expects that the seamers will play a leading role in the series - hope to see the prediction coming true. Wicketkeeper Naman Ojha plays the role of reserve, one that the main keeper Dinesh Karthik plays regularly.

Sri Lanka has taken a cue from the Indian team and announced a new-look side. Hence, the tournament itself  takes a B-team look. The expectations from the Indian team are not great but of course, any result other than a tournament win will result in heads rolling. So, it is a good situation for Suresh Raina to go with an open mind.

The fielding can be expected to be better than the recent performances we have seen. The bowling will be a completely inexperienced team while the batsmen have a good sense of international cricket.

Here is wishing the team all the best for the series and hope that there are few young turks (for a long-term perspective) identified from this series.