Sri Lanka can go all the way

So we meet again. Cricket-crazy India and cricket-mad Sri Lanka - two nations separated by the Palk Straits but joined by our great love of the game. Monday's encounter at Wanderers promises to be a fantastic spectacle and all of us in the Sri Lankan camp are eagerly looking forward to the challenge.

India, under New Zealand's shrewd coach John Wright and skippered by Sourav Ganguly, are a stronger side these days.

Until recently, they were infuriatingly inconsistent despite being blessed with prodigious talent. Their woeful record in the finals reflected their tendency to crumble under pressure. This meant you knew that if you dismissed Sachin Tendulkar cheaply, then, India rarely came back into the game.

Not anymore.

If early wickets fall, then, they have the rock-solid Rahul Dravid and the exciting Yuvraj Singh to rescue them. This helps them bounce back even after a poor start.

The same is true of their bowling. In this World Cup, they have a balanced attack. There is the experienced Javagal Srinath, the fast-improving Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, a left-armer who has proved a revelation. In Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, meanwhile, they boast two world-class spinners.

The team as a whole appears fitter, better prepared and, after a hesitant start, are growing steadily confident. Yes, they struggled on the moist pitches during their recent tour to New Zealand, but here in South Africa they are clearly a more consistent team.

Their biggest strength is their explosive batting line-up, which contains players capable of batting any side in the world out of the game on their day. I still remember our game at Taunton in the last World Cup when I was working as a commentator: Ganguly and Dravid, then, were sensational.

Thus, we are under no illusions about the immensity of the challenge ahead. To beat India we will certainly have to be at the top of our game: a loose start by the opening bowlers and it could all be over in a flash.

We are a different side than India: a bit steadier. In an ideal world, I think we would like to bat first and build a decent total. After achieving that, we must also bowl very, very tightly and put their batsmen under as much pressure as possible. The key is simple; we will have to do the basics well.

The little master is obviously a major threat. The tournament's highest run-getter by a distance, Tendulkar carries their batting. Although India may now be less dependent upon his talents than they earlier were, there is no doubt that his will be the prized wicket.

He can be phenomenal. I watched his innings closely the other day against Pakistan. It was brilliant, quite brilliant. His crisp footwork, perfect balance and impeccable shot selection were a joy to watch and an example for any budding cricketer.

We have watched videos and analysed him. We do that for all opponents. Theories have been formulated and strategies discussed. We have an idea of where we want to bowl to him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that he possesses few obvious weaknesses. This means the bowlers and the fielders are going to have to work very hard to make sure that we claim his wicket early.

But whilst Tendulkar is undoubtedly a great player and a major threat, we will not let our preparations be dominated by him alone. This Indian side possesses an abundance of talent and we would only underestimate the others at our peril.

Moreover, the Sri Lankan philosophy is to focus on what we have to do as individuals. We do not allow ourselves to be distracted by the reputation of the opposition. Each individual has a defined role and responsibilities. We try to make the game simple and reduce the pressure.

Unlike India, we are not packed with stars: our strength is teamwork. It is this quality of ours that makes me believe this Sri Lankan side can go all the way. After difficult tours of South Africa and Australia, we have adjusted to the conditions. All the heartache has proved worthwhile. Ironically, our only failure against Kenya was on the slowest pitch that we have played on. Confidence is growing steadily but it has not peaked. There is plenty more petrol in the tank.

The Kenya defeat was a setback, costing us valuable Super-Six points. Losing the game placed the players under real pressure in the next two encounters. The matches against West Indies and South Africa were, then, a major test of character, one we passed with flying colours.

Our loss to favourites Australia in our first Super Six match proved a slight dampener. But the fact that they have lost key players means Ricky Ponting's men are far from unbeatable. Jason Gillespie started the tournament in brilliant form and, although his replacement Andrew Bichel had his day in the sun against the English, the former will be missed. The absence of Shane Warne has barely been noticed thus far, but it was always in the final rounds that he was going to be needed the most.

Thus, despite all the pre-tournament predictions that sub-continental sides would not prosper this time, I feel that both India and Sri Lanka have the talent and mental strength to become world champions once more. We will know more after Monday.