Dhoni spins web of intrigue over rookie attack

COLOMBO // India will miss the injured Harbhajan Singh but have two other spinners who can make their mark in Sri Lanka. The experienced off-spinner was ruled out of the five-match one-day series, which starts today, with a hamstring injury. In Harbhajan's absence the selectors have turned to the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

"Harbhajan has been the pick of our spinners and we will miss him, but we have two spinners in Pragyan Ojha and Jadeja who will try and fill in the space left by his absence," the captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tough," added Dhoni. "We may have won the last series but they must have seen what went wrong for them. One of the things that went wrong was the toss as that can be crucial when you are playing here, both under lights when the ball moves around in the evening and even at Dambulla where it does a lot during day games."

Sri Lanka hope to build on the winning momentum gained from their 2-1 series win against Pakistan, which followed unconvincing displays against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, with Muthiah Muralitharan and the mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis in their ranks. "We have not been at our best in recent months but we have still been winning and that has been encouraging, showing our character under pressure," the skipper Mahela Jayawardene said.

"We hope to now build on the confidence against India, now one of the best teams in the world." Both teams insisted that the series will be keenly contested despite having been arranged at short notice after India's tour to Pakistan was cancelled. * Agencies Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is confident of shouldering the responsibility of being India's front-line slow-bowler in the absence of Harbhajan Singh on the tour of Sri Lanka.