Atapattu predicts close series

Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu is predicting the upcoming one-day international series against India will be "a closely fought one", but says his team is determined to emerge victorious.

"We are training very hard. We are a determined bunch of people, who want to improve one percent every

Also Read Flight delay frustrates Sri Lankans Mumbai slay another giant

day," said Atapattu in Nagpur on Tuesday, on the eve of the first one-day international.

The visitors were dealt a rude shock when they were beaten by Mumbai Cricket Association President's XI in warm-up game on Saturday, but Atapattu said the defeat was a timely wake-up call for the team.

"In that match we have found a lot of areas to work on. We were able to identify the weak areas and we will try to work on them. So there were a lot of positives to come out of that game," said Atapattu, who was named the best captain for the past 12 months in ODIs at the recent ICC awards in Sydney.

The right-hander, who played 231 ODIs for Sri Lanka, said the toss will be crucial.

"Toss is a bit important nowadays because of the Super sub rule."

He also added that attacking left-handed opener Sanath Jayasuriya is a definite starter for Tuesday's match.

"He is having no problems and he will play tomorrow's match. It was just a case of precaution that we rested him in the warm-up match on Saturday," he added.

Australian Tom Moody, who took over as Sri Lanka's coach in May, said the visitors are going into the series with a lot of confidence.

"As long as we execute our plans and work on our strengths, there is no reason why we cannot be successful in this series," the 40-year-old said.

He made obvious his displeasure about the long flight delay in Mumbai on Sunday that made the team wait at the airport for more than two hours. But he also stated that the team would have to put up with the huge amount of traveling involved in the seven-match series.

"India is a large country and there is a lot of traveling involved and we have to be prepared for it. Of course, flight delays are not ideal, but we have to take everything in our stride," Moody said.

He said that the teams has come to India with a flexible squad to adapt to all conditions.

"We have had a lot of discussions on how to play in different conditions. In such a big series like this, the conditions and wickets will change from venue to venue. As long as you can adapt to any condition, it should not be a problem," he said.