Colombo: Former Sri Lankan opener Sidat Wettimuny believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men form the best one-day team he has seen from India.

Speaking to The Hindu here on Tuesday he said, "This is the finest Indian one-day side. The Indians have a powerful batting line-up and a very useful attack. The side is well balanced.

"In the past, the Indians had been good in batting and bowling, but had lagged behind in fielding. But this is an exceptional fielding side. Presently, the Indians are right up there at the top."

He was all praise for India captain Dhoni. "There is something special about Dhoni. I think he is a quiet thinker of the game. He is strong and positive and has instilled a lot of zest in this team."

The 52-year-old Wettimuny played 23 Tests for Sri Lanka — during the side’s early days in Test cricket — scoring 1221 runs at an average of nearly 30.

The elegant batsman notched up Sri Lanka’s first hundred in Tests — 157 against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1982 — made a lovely 190 at Lord’s in 1984 and carried his bat — at Christchurch with an unbeaten 63 in the 1982-83 season — in difficult, seaming conditions. His contribution cannot be judged in numbers during Sri Lanka’s formative years in Test cricket.

Wettimuny is of the opinion that the Lankan ODI side requires more solidity upfront. "I would even say that a batsman like Thilan Samaraweera could be an answer. He has made a lot of runs in Test cricket and is technically sound.

"If he bats in the top-order in one-day cricket — No. 1, 2, or 3 — he could hold one end and rotate the strike while others like Kumar (Sangakkara) and Mahela (Jayawardene) could bat with greater freedom from the other. We need someone like Gautam Gambhir who can bat with flair and at the same time, look solid," he said.

Talking about Muttiah Muralitharan holding the world record for the highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket, he said, "I think it is a phenomenal achievement. His story is as much about heart as skill. Murali has come through some very tough times. To top it all, he is a wonderful human being."

Wettimuny thinks Ajantha Mendis should be treated as an attacking spinner in one-day cricket. "We are expecting too much from him early on or he has delivered too much too early to raise our expectations.

"But if you have a defensive field to him, in any form of cricket, then he becomes very easy to face. You need to have close catchers for Mendis, even in one-day cricket, for him to be effective."

The former opener was concerned about the falling standards of the Lankan fielding. "The Lankan fielding standards have certainly dipped from what they were even six months ago. Sri Lanka has played three series almost back-to-back and the team does appear jaded on the field."

He was not willing to be too critical of the Lankan bowling. "The pitches have been flat. It’s is not just about somebody not bowling to the field.

"I would say the Indian batting has not allowed the Lankan bowlers to settle down. Guys like Gambhir, Sehwag and Yuvraj can both pick singles or twos or find the boundaries. When a bowler is up against batsmen of this ability, they can be forced to lose their line."

On paceman Lasith Malinga’s comeback, he said, "If he bowls anything like what he bowled in the past, he should be extremely valuable."

Wettimuny thought highly of India’s Ishant Sharma as well. "There is a lot of fire in his bowling and a fast bowler needs to be fiery," he said.

Twenty20 cricket, he felt, would throw up a new breed of power hitters. "Twenty20, over a period of time, will not only produce stroke-makers with touch but a lot of powerful stroke-players. At the moment, we have only Jayasuriya among our specialist batsmen who belongs to this breed. But then, Jayasuriya is exceptional," he said.