There’s very little Sri Lanka can afford to do wrong in the remaining three One-Day internationals against India, as all what the tourists need is to win one of the games to secure the series.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side leads the five match series 2-0 after a six wicket and 15 run win in Dambulla and R. Premadasa Stadium respectively.

Mahela Jayawardene’s side needs to win all three remaining games to avoid another series defeat against the Indians, who beat them 3-2 in August last year.

Speaking to journalists ahead of the third ODI, Jayawardene said that the team had been in similar situations before and are prepared for the challenge against the tourists. "We know if we lose tomorrow we lose the series. We have been in this situation before and you don’t have to tell the boys to raise their performances. They understand the mistakes they have made in different areas of our game. We have to be a bit more consistent with our all-round game," Jayawardene told journalists, yesterday.

He also stressed the need for consistency, a factor that has been lacking in both batting and bowling. "Batting has been good and bowling has been good too. But the problem is we are making a few mistakes. The guys understand that if we can be consistent with our line and length and keep the pressure on and if our batsmen consistently bat through certain periods, we could come off well," Jayawardene added.

Jayawardene further said that the difference between the two sides was that India’s confidence has been high leading into the series after convincing wins against Australia and England, whereas the Sri Lankans have struggled in recent months in ODIs. "There’s not much of a difference between the teams, but confidence-wise, their’s is pretty high because they have been consistent in the past few months. That’s probably something that we lack."

There’s also talk of fast bowler Lasith Malinga making a comeback in the final two ODIs. Since undergoing knee surgery, on his return to domestic cricket, the 25-year-old has done reasonably well. The selectors have named the squad only for the first three ODIs and Malinga’s firepower could come in handy for the hosts in the last two ODIs, although the series may have been already decided by then.

"Lasith is making steady progress. It’s up to the selectors to see whether he’s ready for it or not. His progress has been very good and it’s very good news for us," Jayawardene said when asked about the paceman’s availability.

Jayawardene’s Indian counterpart M. S. Dhoni, meanwhile, has warned his team against complacency. India have enjoyed the upper hand against the Sri Lankans in recent ODIs, but Dhoni has insisted that his players should not relax against the hosts.

After a lackluster performance in Dambulla, where Sri Lanka lost what looked like a one sided contest, the hosts did extremely well to fight back against all odds thanks to an unbeaten 93 by youngster Thilina Kandamby, playing only his ninth ODI. The local spectators will be hoping that the team gets back into the series by winning the crucial third ODI.

Sri Lanka (from): Mahela Jaywardene (Capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, T. M. Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara Mirando and Angelo Mathews.

India (from): M. S. Dhoni (Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Lakshmipathi Balaji, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh.

Umpires: Brian Jerling (RSA) and Kumar Dharmasena (SL)

3rd Umpire: Gamini Silva (SL)

Match Referee: Chris Broad (ENG)