India looking to break 15 year hoodoo

India will be looking for its first Asia Cup title in 15 years when it heads into Thursday’s final against a Sri Lankaside bidding to win the competition for the third time in a row.

India last won the title in 1995 under Mohammad Azharuddin but since it has lost three finals, all against Sri Lanka.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried to ease the pressure on a national side that won three consecutive titles during the glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“Somehow we have not been able to win it. Maybe the performances were not good,” Dhoni said. “As a cricketer you treat it as just another game. If you win that particular game, you have won the finals.”

India lost to Sri Lanka in the last preliminary round match by seven wickets after resting key players like Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra.

Dhoni said his team was never in the chase after a batting collapse triggered by a sensational hat-trick by Sri Lankan seam bowler Farveez Maharoof, who finished with a five-wicket haul.

“We got the kind of start that was needed but we were not really able to convert that into big scores,” Dhoni said.

In 2008, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya scored a century under pressure and spinner Ajantha Mendis rattled India’s batting order after a promising start to finish with his career-best six wickets to hand Sri Lankatheir second successive victory.

Both Jayasuriya and Mendis were dropped for this edition because of poor form.

“But we’ve got players probably capable of doing similar things for us,” Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said. “If we play as a unit and stick together, we have a good chance of winning.”

Both teams are set to recall their senior players, including India’s Harbhajan and Nehra and Sri Lanka’s ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and batsman Thilan Samaraweera.

Sri Lanka comes into the match buoyed by the recent form of Mahroof, who struggled early on against Pakistan but impressed against India. His performance, however, will make it difficult for selectors to choose the seam bowlers with Nuwan Kulasekera and Lasith Malinga also performing well.

“It will be a confidence booster if I make the 11,” Mahroof said of his chances. “I just want to turn up there and do the right thing.”

^AP