Buoyed by that huge 188-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test in New Delhi, India enter the third Test in a confident frame of mind despite the possibility of captain Rahul Dravid missing the match because of a bout of gastroenteritis.
But even the Sri Lankans have fitness worries, with a couple of their players down with fever on the eve of the match, beginning on Sunday.
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India last played Sri Lanka at the Sardar Patel stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, in 1994 and won the match by a huge margin of an innings and 17 runs to wrap the three-Test series 3-0.
It was a match Sri Lanka's captain Marvan Atapattu would like to forget, having failed to score in both the innings. The other Sri Lankan who played in that match, Muttiah Muralitharan, also didn't enjoy much success, claiming 3 for 79 in India's only innings.
India have two players -- Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar -- who played in that match, and they too did not live up to expectations either.
Tendulkar scored just six, while Kumble could only claim a single wicket in both innings. Left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju had taken 11 wickets, but the then captain Mohammad Azharuddin was the player of the match as he notched a stylish 152.
India have played seven matches at Motera, winning two -- against Sri Lanka in 1994 and South Africa in 1996, and losing to the West Indies in 1983. Four matches against New Zealand (twice), England and Pakistan ended in draws at the venue.
The last three matches at Motera ended in draws, but curator Dhiraj Parsana is confident that the pitch prepared by him will be provide a result.
He said he has prepared a sporting wicket, which will produce an even contest between the bat and the ball, something spectators would enjoy.
The stadium has witnessed some memorable feats by Indians. Sunil Gavaskar got past the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket against Pakistan in 1986-87, while in 1995 Kapil Dev went past Richard Hadlee to become the highest wicket-taker in Tests when he took his 432nd wicket in the Test against Sri Lanka.
Anil Kumble also enjoyed good success here, claiming 28 wickets in five Tests, and he will be hoping for a special showing in his 100th Test.
India will no doubt miss Dravid if he is ruled out of the match. He has enjoyed a golden run on the good batting pitches here, scoring 431 runs in 4 Tests at 61.57. Sachin Tendulkar has also scored the same amount of runs in 5 Tests at 47.88.
The Gujarat Cricket Association has done its bit for spectators and tickets have been priced reasonably, between Rs. 40 to Rs. 400, thereby ensuring that the common man would not have to think twice before purchasing a ticket.
Tickets can be also be booked in advance through SMS.
The Test has been insured for Rs. 35 lakhs and each Sri Lankan player insured for Rs. 15 lakhs.
Officials of the Gujarat Cricket Association are hopeful that the first day of the match, being a Sunday, will witness a capacity crowd. But they also hope that the match goes down to the wire and all five days produce good, quality cricket, thereby attracting huge crowds everyday.
The match provides a last big opportunity for some of the players to seal a spot for the tour of Pakistan. Gautam Gambhir and Wasim Jaffer, if selected, will need to play out of their skin and impress the selectors.
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