India looking to fine-tune skills against Lanka: Krthik

Leeds, July 5 (IANS) India have already qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup, but Dinesh Karthik believes the Men in Blue would love to fine-tune their skills when they take on Sri Lanka at the Headingley Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

"I think at the end of the day a few of the batters would want to have a good hit. Even for the bowlers, for that matter, it's important that they work on the things that they want to do. I think there is scope for improvement in all aspects of our game.

"I think we've been playing a good tournament, but I'm sure that personally each player would have some boxes to tick and I think we'll all be looking to do that," Karthik pointed out.

Karthik added that the team was not looking beyond the Lanka game at the moment. "Look, first up is Sri Lanka. I think there are a few things a few players would want to achieve personally and as a team as well. We'd definitely want to play the best game that we can.

"But having said that, at the back of our minds we do have the semifinal in mind. I think that's a big game for us. For all the four teams that qualify, it's going to be a massive game. But having said that, I think we're professional enough to go out there against Sri Lanka and play a very clinical game," he said.

But talks of the semifinal are bound to happen and Karthik said that all the teams are strong and looking in fine form.

"Look, to be very honest, it's a World Cup semifinal, so I think all the other three teams, apart from India, will look forward to that game. It's hard for me to say which team will be a threat. But on any given day any team can stand up. And that's the beauty of a tournament like World Cup, because once you hit the semifinal mark, it's just that one day, and you've got to make sure you stand up on that day.

"We're really looking forward to it as a team. At the same time, I think we have a game to play in Leeds. We'll do the best we can tomorrow," he said.

Asked if any of the boys will be rested considering that the Indians have already qualified, Karthik said: "To be very honest, I don't know. I don't know what the team management is thinking. So obviously that call will be taken by the coach and the captain. Until now I have no clue what they've decided on the team yet."

While the England-Pakistan series before the showpiece event saw the players score beyond 300 at will, the same cannot be said of the matches in the World Cup and Karthik said the pressure of performing on the big stage is always there as are the conditions which have helped bowlers.

"I think it's a bit of both. When you're batting first, it's about seeing through the initial phase when the ball is new and then you have the ability to decide what the par score is and try and get there. When you're batting, I think the wicket changes a bit, becomes slightly slower and helps the spinners a little bit.

"For a lot of the teams, they're bowling cross-seam and the wicket has been a little up-and-down as well. It's not been that easy to execute shots. Also, this is a World Cup, so obviously there's a bit of scoreboard pressure. I think a lot of teams have fallen prey to that as well," he explained.