Bracing for a challenging Test series against India who are having a dream run in the last 18 months, Australian players slogged it out in nets in Wednesday, two days after landing in Mumbai for the four-match rubber starting on February 23 at Pune.
The Sri Lankans have played 17 Tests in India in 35 years, but failed to win a single one.
India may be weakened by the absence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but the World champions cannot be taken lightly, especially with a strong batting line-up at their disposal, says Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews.
The experiment of binding the playing surface at the Brabourne stadium with Poly Vinyl Acetate was commended by both captains and players after Sri Lanka's seven-wicket victory over New Zealand.
To have 11 fielders on the field, Australia had to field their masseur and logistics coordinator Grant Baldwin.
The match against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai will be played at the Brabourne stadium after criticism of the original venue in Hyderabad.
Australia's skipper said the dismissal of Chris Gayle was the turning point in the Champions Trophy final.
The Australian captain indicated that all rounder Shane Watson would open the batting with Adam Gilchrist.
Do you agree with Graeme Smith's criticism about the wickets not being of international standard?
The all-rounder took four wickets to power Central Zone to a 25-run victory against South Zone in the Deodhar Trophy league tie.
Big time cricket will return at the Brabourne stadium
England beat CCI President's XI by 238 runs in the three-day practice match
Virat Singh and captain Manoj Tiwary struck unbeaten half centuries and put on a rollicking century stand for the third wicket to enable East Zone trounce star-studded North Zone by eight wickets in the Mushtaq Ali T20.
Rohit Sharma says the 81-ball 100 by Ambati Rayudu will remove all doubts that he is the ideal number four in the run-up to next year's World Cup in England.
'It is a very good and exciting team. But India has a long way to go,' legendary cricketer and coach Bobby Simpson tells Faisal Shariff.
Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai suffered a batting collapse to be shot out for a paltry 182 in their second innings but still set the Rest of India an imposing target of 480 to win the Irani Cup title in Mumbai on Thursday. At stumps on the fourth and penultimate day, the Rest, who conceded a huge first innings lead of 297, were 100 for the loss of opener K S Bharat's (42) wicket to whittle down the lead to 380. Vidarbha's Faiz Fazal (41) and Sudip Chatterjee (17) of Bengal were the unbeaten Rest batsmen who will carry on the run chase on Friday at the Brabourne Stadium. Earlier Mumbai, who did not enforce the follow on last evening and resumed today at their overnight second innings score of 2 for 1, were shot out for 182 in 51.2 overs -- mainly by the efforts of spin-pace combine of Jayant Yadav (4 for 93) and Jaydev Unadkat (3 for 16).
How can the Bengal tiger make a comeback?
East Zone were well-placed at 108 without loss, after dismissing Zimbabwe President's XI for 156, on day 1 of the Duleep Trophy match.
Sachin Tendulkar has promised to give a pep talk to his Mumbai teammates on Wednesday ahead of their three-day clash against the visiting Australian team.
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