15 member Indian cricket team left for Colombo

The Indian team flew to Sri Lanka by an Air India chartered flight this afternoon from Bangalore to participate in the tri-series tri-nation cricket match. The team was originally scheduled to leave for Colombo from Chennai by a Jet Airways flight. Following the strike by the Jet Airways pilots, the 15 member Indian squad had to change their travel plan.

The ten-member team who were here in Chennai flew to Bangalore to join Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Vice-Captain Yuvaraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R P Singh and Harbhajan Singh, from where they took off.

Coach Gary Kirsten, addressing a press conference today, said the team was focused and well prepared to perform well in the tour.'' We had won the ODI series there in January last and also won the tour before that. But without resting on those laurels we know every tour is different,'' he said.

Kirsten said ''there are good varieties and depth in the batting line up. Some youngsters in the team have been performing well. But we will look at the combination as we
go into every match.

He said, the Corporate Trophy matches they were participating, had given the players some good match practice.

He said, the next eight months would be utilised in the right way to prepare the team for the 2011 World Cup

Answering a question on Sri Lanka being a tough proposition to beat on its home turf, the former South African left handed opener said ''this would be so. But we did well there in January. We are familiar with the conditions. But we know that every day you have to make sure you win.''

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- Asian Tribune -