ODI preview 
/ Richard O’Hagan / 27 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Dinesh Chandimal is a nice bet for top Sri Lanka runscorer
"Sri Lanka have gone from being the whipping boys of the CB series to being the tournament’s form team. India, meanwhile, seem to have lost their way entirely."
It's been a long tour and a worn out India side look ripe for another ODI defeat in Australia with Sri Lanka ready to claim their place in the CB Series final
India v Sri Lanka - CB Series Game 11, Live on Sky Sports 1 at 3am (match begins at 3.20am)
What a difference a fortnight makes. Sri Lanka have gone from being the whipping boys of the CB series to being the tournament's form team. India, meanwhile, seem to have lost their way entirely. Their defeat against Australia on Sunday means that they need to beat Sri Lanka and gain a bonus point as well if they are to make the finals. In short, this is the archetypical 'make or break' game for both sides, but with Sri Lanka very much holding the advantage.
Team News
One of India's problems has been that, for much of the competition, their selection policy has resembled an octopus flailing at a drum kit. Nothing has exemplified this more than the fact that they have played all three senior batsmen - Sehwag, Tendulkar and Gambhir - in the two games since captain MS Dhoni announced that they wouldn't do this because it would cost them at least 20 runs in the field to do so. This then led to frantic denials but it is clear that the only certain thing with this side is that the end of the tour cannot come soon enough for them. Add to that the fact that they are struggling to field four fit bowlers and team selection this side might come down to a case of 'last man standing plays'.
Sri Lanka, by contrast, seem to have found a settled lineup. Few could have expected that, a year on from the World Cup final, the man who almost won them that tournament, Upal Tharanga, would be the man to be missing out as they permed five batsmen from six available, but having the calmer head of skipper Mahela Jayawardene at the top of the order has worked well for them, whilst Dinesh Chandimal has been an unexpected star. Their victory over Australia in their last game was a tight one, winning with four balls to spare, but the fact that their lineup now bats deep into the lower order helped them out there and it would be a surprise to see them make any changes.
Venue and Conditions
Hobart is a tricky ground to predict. Games here tend to either be relatively high scoring - in excess of 240 from 50 overs - or feature scores well short of 200. That weather conditions are more variable than other Australian grounds doesn't help. The forecast is for a coolish day by Australian standards with a gentle breeze, so expect little help for the bowlers and one of the higher scoring games.
Match Odds
For the first time in the competition Sri Lanka go into a game as favourites. At [1.91] it is not an overwhelming vote of confidence, but it is hard to see India summoning the reserves to make a game of this and you can expect those odds to get shorter as the start of the match approaches.
Top Runscorer
It is impossible to make a case for any of the Indian batsmen to top score. When your captain admits that your batting is so short of form that it falls to the bowlers to keep the score below 200 if you are to have a chance of winning, you have a serious problem. The safer bets lie on the Sri Lankan side and Chandimal looks to be the best bet here at a price of [5.6]. He scored 80 on this ground against Australia and only missed out on a ton by getting too inventive with his shot selection, a mistake this quick learner is unlike to make again.
Opening Partnership
There are not many areas where India may have the edge with the bat, but one of them is that it has been rare for both Sri Lankan openers to make a good start. Although India are outsiders in this market, the history of this series suggests that they will make a higher score for the first wicket than Sri Lanka do.
Best Bet
Dinesh Chandimal to be Sri Lanka's top scorer at odds of [5.6]
With two games to go, India are fast running out of chances to save their tournament, but Andrew Hughes thinks their minds are already on the flight home.
The Commonwealth Bank Series rolls into Tasmania on Friday and Andrew Hughes thinks punters should oppose the Aussies
Sri Lanka are the form side at the moment in this drawn-out competition and the absence of the suspended captain MS Dhoni won't help India's cause one little bit, says Richard O'Hagan....
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