Had Sourav Ganguly been paying attention to Navjot Singh Sidhu's rantings in the commentary box, he would have learnt never to trust a cliche. "Never change a winning combination," raved the man who breaks into a huge grin every time Ravi Shastri describes him as the "Pasha of Cliches." India have played this tournament with only three bowlers and, until Thursday, hadn't really had to pay for it. The pitches for the first eight matches made batsmen battle for runs and India's assorted part timers did their job manfully in the middle overs. But the last match should have warning enough: New Zealand piled up 264, and Virender Sehwag's matchwinning hundred didn't absolve Sehwag the bowler. He and Reetinder Singh Sodhi went for nearly eight an over on a flat pitch and it should have been a cue for the Indian management.

The pitch at the Premadasa looked benign and bountiful, and the outfield, having been given a good shave, lightening fast. But Ganguly, obviously influenced by the age-old dictum, chose convention over wisdom and kept faith in the team that has won the last three matches.

Sodhi may well go on to win the match with his bat, but slow left-armer Rahul Sanghvi must consider himself unlucky to miss out. Harbhajan Singh, India's only specialist spinner in the final XI, has been magnificent throughout the tournament, with a economy rate of under 3.5. He was outstanding once more today, conceding less than three when the norm was six. Yet Sanghvi, the only other specialist bowler in the squad, was not even considered as an option.

A three-man attack demands the very best from each specialist bowler. Today, both Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra were off colour and clobbered for 127 in 17 overs. India had no place to hide. The Sri Lankans have batted well but the Indians bowled badly. Not giving Sanath Jayasuriya room outside off stump is sound theory, but only if you don't stray down leg. Khan and Nehra fed Jayasuriya on his legs and how he feasted, scoring 35 of his first 50 runs on the leg side. His 50 came from a mere 47 balls and Harbhajan Singh had already bowled four overs within the first 15. It meant that, having played their best cards early and to no avail, India were left staring down the barrel for most of the Sri Lankan innings. A cliche of which Sidhu would be proud.

Sambit Bal is India editor of Wisden Online

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