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Sri Lanka will be desperate to get into top gear during their one-day series against India at home.
The island country's cricket has been in disarray in recent times. The tour to Bangladesh was highly forgettable. Though Sri Lanka won, the series was too close for comfort.
The three-match encounter in Pakistan must have given them renewed hope but India will be the team to beat.
Lanka's biggest advantage will be that they are now playing in their own backyard. And the team has rarely lost on home soil.
India must be aware of that. Their last tour to the island was indifferent, having lost the Tests but winning the one-dayers narrowly 3-2.
Lanka's problems have been more to do with the batting than the bowling. The one big factor has been the dismal displays of captain Mahela Jayawardene. The champion batsman has been in such woeful form that getting zeros have become a regular feature.
This has put additional pressure on vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara. The strokemaker has been forced to abandon aggression for sedateness.
With the opening slot insecure and only Sanath Jayasuriya a certainty, Sangakkara was often left to hold the innings together along with the brittle middle-order.
The talented Upul Tharanga has failed to grasp his chances. But promoting Tillakaratne Dilshan to the opening slot In Pakistan may prove a masterstroke in the future.
Dilshan has been in and out of Lankan cricket for too long. A talented stroke player, Dilshan is often impetuous for which he has paid a heavy price.
The tour to Bangladesh has been a turnaround and hopefully he has finally learnt from his mistakes.
Chamara Kapugedera is beginning to click consistently and this augurs well for the team. The right-hander is aggressive by nature but is learning to curb his natural instincts to match the situation.
Lanka's bowling attack will be the least of the worries as both Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajanta Mendis are in top form. The Indians had struggled against Mendis on the earlier tour and it has to be seen whether they have learnt from their mistakes.
India's team only sprung one surprise with the promising Virat Kohli being dropped for the talented but untried Ravindra Jadeja.
It does not matter that much because neither players would have got into the side with the return of Sachin Tendulkar.
India will be happy that Rohit Sharma has got back his habit of scoring big runs. In the recently concluded Ranji trophy final, Sharma scored a century in each innings at crucial times for his team Mumbai.
India will again have to grapple with the question of who opens with Virender Sehwag. Tendulkar may win the right as senior pro but the Sehwag-Gautam Gambhir combination has worked wonders for India.
It would be better if India break out of their conservative approach for the sake of the future and let Sehwag and Gambhir open with Tendulkar batting at number four.
India are riding on a wave of success and will seek to erase the painful memories of the tour last year. This one offers the best chance.
