The 23-year-old, on the verge of being the youngest ever Indian to lead the national side out in a one-day tournament, said however that despite the concerns over continuing violence in Lanka, he and his team members were confident that the Sri Lankans were doing everything possible to protect the players of the three participat- ing nations - namely, India, Australia and Zimbabwe.

The Singer Cup series of one-dayers will be held in Colombo, the Lankan capital which has been wracked by unremitting violence throughout the year. A bomb blast just a few days before the start of the Wills World Cup that left 90 dead and over 400 injured, it will be recalled, had sparked a boycott of scheduled Cup matches by Australia and the West Indies.

The Australian players and the board has also, like Tendulkar, expressed concern about the situation in the island but at the same time professed to be satisfied that the Lankan authorities are doing all they can to ensure security.

In late July, such concerns were further heightened when a bomb went off on a crowded train, killing an estimated 57 people and wounding several dozen others.

In the prevailing situation, Sri Lankan police officials are planning a mega-tight security blanket in Colombo for the duration of the tournament, which begins on August 26. Commandoes, sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squads will be part of a large security operation being planned to en- sure that the tournament goes off without incident, said Colombo police chief D.M.T.B. Dissanayake.''We are ready for every eventuality.''

All vehicles entering the precincts of the stadium will be meticulously searched, and a security cordon thrown around the venue and the hotel housing the players, Dissanayake said.