India will be eyeing whitewash when they meet out of sorts Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Friday. (Cricket News | Preview)
The send ODI loss must have hurt Sri Lanka badly. They had reduced India to 193/7 but only to see Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar steal the thunder and guide India to a three-wicket win. Chahar top scored with unbeaten 69.
India can now have a choice between experimenting and continuing the winning combination in their bid to ensure a clean sweep against Sri Lanka. India have fielded the same playing XI in both the matches, while Dasun Shanaka-led Lanka made one change bringing in fast bowler Kasun Rajitha.
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One of the changes that India can implement is replacing Prithvi Shaw, who has scores of 43 and 13, with classy Devdutt Padikkal or an equally elegant Ruturaj Gaikwad.
There will surely be talk about continuing with Ishan Kishan or give an opportunity to Sanju Samson to make his ODI debut.
The likes of Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav are certain to maintain their places as the duo are the middle-order backbone.
With vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar making it clear that there are no fitness issues with Hardik Pandya, the flamboyant Baroda player and his brother all-rounder Krunal are expected to play.
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The match could also see Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal rested with the likes of off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham and Rahul Chahar given their first ODI games.
For Sri Lanka, a win in the final game would do wonders to their confidence. Opener Avishka Fernando has been among runs, but needs support from the other batsmen. A good outing for skipper Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Dhananjaya de Silva and others would not only help the team but also themselves in the career ahead.
Head-to-head
India and Sri Lanka have met 161 times in ODIs. In the IND vs SL ODI fixtures so far, India have won 93 times, as against Sri Lanka's 56. There was one tied math and 11 no results too.
India’s loss to Lanka came way back in Dharamsala in 2017. In fact, in the last 20 matches against Sri Lanka, India have lost only four times.
Match and telecast details
Match: Sri Lanka vs India, 3rd ODI cricket match
Date: July 23 (Friday), 2021
Time: 3:00 PM IST/ 3:00 PM Local
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
TV Listing: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: SonyLIV
Playing XIs in the 2nd ODI
Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan
India: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Squads
Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Ishan Jayaratne , Ramesh Mendis, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Asitha Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Lahiru Udara, Shiran Fernando, Isuru Udana.
India: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Sanju Samson, Krishnappa Gowtham, Nitish Rana, Navdeep Saini, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Devdutt Padikkal.
