Time now for the fringe benefits

COLOMBO: The Indians may have sealed the fate of the current five-match ODI series by winning the first three matches, but they are in no mood to relent. Such is the confidence running in the team that every member is ready to play a winning hand.
The remaining two One-dayers could see the Indians testing the bench strength keeping in mind the 43-day arduous tour of New Zealand that looms ahead.The likes of Laxmipathy Balaji, Ravindra Jadeja and Irfan Pathan, along with Rohit Sharma, who have been warming the bench, are likely to feature in the playing eleven.
The Premadasa Stadium, which will be hosting the third day-night game in succession on Tuesday, could also witness another Indian high if they win. It would then be the best-ever ODI winning run by an Indian team ��� of nine consecutive wins. Yuvraj Singh, however, feels the team is not playing for records.
"We want to play together as a team and try and win from any situation. At the moment, we have been doing that. Whether we get the record or not (is immaterial). We want to do well in the next game too," he had said on Tuesday.
Though Indian captain MS Dhoni indicated on Wednesday evening that there will be changes for the next two games, a final call will be taken on Thursday morning during a team meeting, he said.
The top three ��� Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ��� may play at least one game together. Tendulkar may be keen to improve upon his scores of 5, 6, 7 and sign off the series on a high.
Gambhir, who is in sublime touch, too would be looking to improve upon his sequence of 62, 27 and 10. Sehwag, who had missed the first game, will be eager to have another go at the opposition.
The bowling department could witness a few changes with either Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma making way for Balaji. Jadeja may have to wait for one game as left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha seems to have struck a purple patch as he registered his best ODI figures on Tuesday (4-38). That leaves out Yusuf Pathan and Praveen Kumar, either of whom can make way for Irfan Pathan.