With the sentimentality and feel-good factor of the first Test a thing of the past, the focus now returns to solely on-field matters as Sri Lanka begin life without their wicket-taking machine Muttiah Muralitharan and Indian fans discover whether their team can come to the party with either bat or ball.

Ajantha Mendis is the man most likely to replace Muralitharan and the former 'mystery spinner' has enjoyed some success in Colombo in the past, but having not played a Test this year it's tough to assess how he'll perform on his return to the big time. The Sinhalese Sports Club should aid the spinners so the right-armer will have some assistance and if Mendis has any thoughts of taking over Muralitharan's mantle as first-choice spinner he needs to perform from the start.

It's not only in the spin department that Sri Lanka have cause for concern; following his Man of the Match performance in the first Test, Lasith Malinga will take no part in the Colombo Test due to a knee niggle. The absence of Malinga and Muralitharan means that the men who claimed 15 of the 20 Indian wickets that fell in Galle are missing, leaving a gaping hole in the Sri Lankan bowling line-up. But it may serve as some consolation that India have perhaps even greater bowling woes.

Without Zaheer Khan and Shantha Sreesanth India were always going to struggle in the fast-bowling department and this was confirmed in Galle. Perhaps more worryingly. though. is that premier spinner Harbhajan Singh looked terribly out of sorts and Pragyan Ojha failed to put his hand up as a superior choice to Amit Mishra.

Ojha could well make way for Mishra should India stick with two spinners, although there have been suggestions that a slightly greener than expected pitch may see India stray from the norm and play only one spinner with Munaf Patel replacing Ojha. Patel may make his way into the team regardless of the formation of the attack, should the selectors decide to drop Ishant Sharma as they attempt to add more bite tot he attack.

All in all, with both teams' bowling units hit by injuries, retirements and poor form one has to wonder if either team has the firepower to take 20 scalps. While wickets may be scarce runs should be aplenty, but such a scenario would require the Indian batsmen to do what they failed to do in Galle - perform.

The hoopla surrounding Murali's exit allowed the poor performance of the Indian batsmen to slip under the radar; their bowlers were expected to struggle, but with such an experienced line-up there really is no excuse for such woeful batting. With 561 Test caps between them the Indian top six should be hemorrhaging runs rather than suffering the indignity of having to follow-on.

Ranked number one in the world, India need to step up and show that they can win away from home, with a 2-0 defeat in this series enough to send Sri Lanka to the top of the ICC rankings. Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara doesn't seem to interested in securing the number one position; regardless though, while the rankings system may have its faults you can be sure that nobody in the Sri Lanka camp would complain about snatching the position from their sub-continental neighbours and Monday's Test in Colombo is the next step to achieving this.

Key Men

Sri Lanka: Whoever of Dilhara Fernando or Dammika Prasad replaces Lasith Malinga will have a tough act to follow. Spin is sure to dominate in Colombo, but the fast men's ability to get early wickets and expose the middle-order for Mendis and Rangana Herath could put Sri Lanka on top.

India: While Virender Sewage played with his typical swashbuckling style in the first innings in Galle, Gautam Gambhir only managed to face five balls in the entire match, failing to score in the first innings and making two in the second. A good start at the top of the order will be key to ensuring that the under-performing middle-order given the best possible platform to excel. Gambhir needs to get back on track for this to happen.

Last Five Head-To-Head Test Results
2010: First Test: Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets in Galle
2009: Third Test: India won by an innings and 24 runs in Mumbai
2009: Second Test: India won by an innings and 144 runs in Kanpur
2009: First Test: Match drawn in Ahmedabad
2008: Third Test: Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets in Colombo

Prediction

A bit of wet weather, two under-strength attacks and batsmen with the propensity for big scores suggest that this Test will end in a draw.

Probable Teams

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welegedara, Rangana Herath.

India: Mahendra Dhoni (captain), Virender Sewage, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ishant Sharma.

Dates: 26-30 July
Morning session: 10:00 - 12:00 (04:30 - 06:30 GMT)
Afternoon session:12:40 - 14:40 (07:10 - 09:10 GMT)
Evening session:15:00 - 17:00 (09:30 - 11:30 GMT)

Umpires: Daryl Harper and Rod Tucker
Third Umpire: Ranmore Martinesz
Match referee: Andy Pycroft

Julia Harris