India, SL teams here for 4th ODI; last match before World Cup

Visakhapatnam, Feb 15 (UNI) The Indian team, after a series-levelling win in Goa yesterday arrived in this port city for the fourth and final ODI against Sri Lanka here on February 17.

The teams were accorded a traditional welcome at the team hotel.

Both teams chose to remain in the hotel and opted for rest, though they are expected to come out for nets tomorrow morning.

This would be the final match for both the teams before the prestigious World Cup to be held in the Caribbean next month.

A win here would not only help India clinch the four-match seires, but also boost team morale ahead of the mega event.

Considering that this would be the last match prior to the show piece event, expectations are high that both teams would field their best possible eleven to finalise the combination for the event.

Meanwhile, the ACA-VDCA stadium, which came on the international map in 2004-05, would be hosting its second match. In the debut match in this stadium, Mahendra Singh Dhoni shot into the limelight with a big hundred (148) against Pakistan in a high scoring match won by India by a margin of 58 runs. India scored 356 for nine and Pakistan was all out for 298.

The pitch would be no different this time with the curator promising a high scoring affair much to the delight of local fans.

In the previous five matches held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, India won against New Zealand in 1988-89, beat West Indies by six wickets in 94-95 before losing to Australia in 2000-01. The ground played host to World Cup matches in 1995-96 when Australia defeated Kenya and Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the Pepsi Cup in 1998-99.

UNI