Team India looks to break finals jinx in Sri Lanka

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: September 7, 2009

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Mumbai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has led India to many famous series wins since he took over the captaincy of the cricket-crazy nation. Now, he has a chance to ink his name in the record books once again when the team begins the new season with the tri-series in Sri Lanka.

India have the opportunity to clinch their first final in a multi-nation event in almost 11 years in Sri Lanka when they take on the hosts and New Zealand in the tri-series at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

India had last won the final of a major one-day event on Lankan soil in 1998 and then shared the rain-marred ICC Champions Trophy with the hosts in 2002. In 1998, the team helped by centuries from openers Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly defeated the home side, led by another ex-player Arjuna Ranatunga and clinched the Singer-Akai Nidahas Trophy. Incidentally that tri-series also featured New Zealand.

Since then India have participated in five multi-nation tournaments (excluding the abandoned Unitech Cup in 2006) but have failed to break the jinx. They have finished on the losing side to the hosts on all other occasions.

The team emerged joint winners in two tournaments -ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and the 2003 TVS Cup in Bangladesh – by sharing the top prize with Lanka and South Africa respectively. On seven occasions, India have finished runners-up, while crashing out of the tournament thrice in the league stage itself.

However, skipper Dhoni’s team has gradually gained a reputation of not being bogged down by history and past baggage. What will boost the squad’s morale further is that three of their five recent series triumphs have come against the two opponents it will face in the tri series. India have not only defeated Sri Lanka in their own backyard twice in the past two years, but also humiliated the Kiwis in New Zealand earlier this year.

A win in the tri-series will not only add another feather to Dhoni’s cap, but may also go a long way in making people forget the horrors of the Twenty20 World Cup in England where India crashed out before even reaching the semis.

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