Colombo: India captain Rahul Dravid on Saturday vowed to reverse his team's lapses at winning tournament finals in Sri Lanka, in the three-nation limited-overs series to be played in the island nation.
"Sri Lanka played well last time," Dravid said in Colombo. He was referring to the final of the 2005 tri-nation series in which Sri Lanka, at home, beat India. The West Indies were the third team in that series.
Sri Lanka also beat India in the 2004 Asia Cup final at home.
"I hope we get to the final first. If we do get there, (I hope we) play good cricket on that particular day," Dravid said.
India, looking to bounce back from a 1-4 defeat in the limited-overs series in the West Indies in May, have been boosted by the arrival of the prolific Sachin Tendulkar after five months of rest because of shoulder surgery.
"We had a tough One-Day series in the West Indies. It's the only series we lost since we've been here last. We are looking forward to getting back to winning," Dravid said.
"Sachin is a very important member of our side ... what he brings to the team both on and off the field is very important."
With 14,146 runs in 362 matches and 39 centuries, both world records, Tendulkar's arrival adds strength to India's batting in this series against South Africa and hosts Sri Lanka.
The seven-match series that includes the final will start on Monday at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium.
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