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"Playing India in India can be tough" -- Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka, says dashing opener Sanath Jayasuriya, has cause to worry when it takes on India in a series of Tests and ODIs in November.

"We had an easy time against them when they visited us, but after the Asia Cup, India has had a string of good performances in the Sahara Cup and they also did well in the Wills Challenge, in Pakistan," Jayasuriya pointed out. "When you are playing a team on its own soil, you have to be a little worried about that as well. They know what the wicket is like whereas you don't, and that can be a factor."

Asked whether India's lack of a killer instinct may not make Sri Lanka's task easier, Jayasuriya vehemently countered it: " It is not a lack of killer instinct. It is just that when you lose a couple of close games, your confidence is lost too, and that is what happened to India. But by the same token, if you win a few games, then your confidence goes up and India has had some very good wins lately."

On the subject, Jayasuriya believes that the secret behind his team's near invincibility today is the win in the 1996 World Cup. "After that, everything changed for us, the players have got tonnes of confidence. Whenever we go out to play, we feel we can do it, because we have already won the big one."

Never mind the feeling in a lot of fans here that Sachin Tendulkar has lost his edge -- for Jayasuriya, he still remains the best. "Sachin is easily India's best batsman," said the opener. Asked about Mohammad Azharuddin, Jayasuriya added, "Sure, Azhar is a very good batsman -- but Sachin is still the best."

But it is Aravinda D'Silva, rather than Tendulkar or any of the others, that Jayasuriya rates as the best batsman in the world today. "I admire his ability to get runs, and his style," says Jayasuriya, adding on a smile, "Wasim Akram always seems to get him out."

And among the Indian bowlers? Javagal Srinath, is the unqualified answer. "He is the most experienced, he has real pace, his line is good, he has all his basics right." He also said he was much impressed by Debashish Mohanty. "He and Harvinder have done very well in Toronto. Playing them will be a surprise to me when I face them in November."

One aspect of Indian cricket that Jayasuriya is very evidently not enamoured of is the fielding. Asked who he considered the best fielder in the Indian side, he smiled and refused to answer. And the response to a follow-up question, about whether his silence meant India had no good fielders, was an even more enigmatic smile.

UNI