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NEWS India-Sri Lanka ODI Series 2006>Revenge not in our minds: Sangakarra 17th Aug 2006 23.56 IST By Agencies Setting aside all talks of revenge of ODI series loss to India last year, Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakarra said they would look at the three matches against the neighbours as a fresh start. Sangakarra said the 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Indians in their land was a thing of past and won't matter when the two sides start their bi-lateral series clash on Friday.
"The 6-1 defeat has gone. Our 11 victories in a row is history as well. We start afresh when we go into this tournament. India have always been tough. I don't ever remember playing an easy game against them. So, we are going to take it match by match, play by play and see how we can overcome all the challenges that they present," Sangakarra said. He hoped that the series has some close fights between the two countries considering the fact that players of both teams were fit and raring to go. "Sachin is back. Everyone is fighting fit in their camp. Everyone is fighting fit in our camp as well except Marvan Atapattu. So, it is going to be an even contest and whoever performs better on a particular day and wants to win that game just a bit more than the other team will do well," the Sri Lankan said. The series was reduced to a three-game affair between the two sides after South Africa pulled out of the triangular event citing security concerns in the post-bomb blast scenario in the Sri Lankan capital. Sangakarra said the pullout should not matter since a shorter series would only mean higher intensity in the games. "In a round-robin series where you have the top two teams go into the final you might have games where certain players are rested and you might be able to take tactical decisions," the left-handed batsman said. "But it is a three-match series and every match is absolutely vital. It will be much more intense. Anyways, in the Asian conditions, even if it had been a three-team series, the odds were that India and Sri Lanka would have been in the final," he said. He said rains and South Africa's pullout issue affected players' preparations. "It is not the best for our mental preparation. But cricket goes on, life goes on. Tomorrow hopefully, we will get a good game," he said. Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-Sri Lanka ODI Series 2006 Team Page: India Team Page: Sri Lanka | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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