India will take on Sri Lanka in the opening ODI of the series. It will be the first game for the young Indian side on this tour.
Match Timings: July 18, 3 PM IST
Match Preview
The new-look Indian side will kick off their Sri Lanka tour with an ODI series and Shikhar Dhawan will lead the young Indian side for the first time. India last played an ODI series in March when they beat England 2-1 and their numbers in white-ball formats are promising good. India lost to Australia in CWC Super League and they would now look to grab 30 points here.
Prithvi Shaw and Dhawan will open for India considering their current form. Both have played together for Delhi in Indian T20 League. Shaw’s numbers in domestic season put him ahead in the race of opening slot. India may feature Sanju Samson as the wicket-keeper. Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav will lead the middle-order. Pandya will play the finishing role and he might play at number four. India can play with two main spinners, Kuldeep and Chahal. Krunal will be added as the all-round option who can deliver few overs in middle-overs. Bhuvi will lead the pace attack along with Navdeep Saini. India might drop one spinner to bring one extra seamer but it will be decided after the toss.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have to prove a lot and they are going through a rebuilding process. Dasun Shanaka will lead the side as Perera has been ruled out. Nissanka and Charith Asalanka may open the innings, followed by Shanka and D Silva in middle-order. Hasaranga’s role will be important as he has been a consistent player for Sri Lanka in the past one. The trio D Silva, Shanaka, and Hasaranga’s role will decide Sri Lanka’s fate in this series.
Sri Lanka are struggling in all formats, especially in white-ball format. They suffered a white-wash against West Indies, followed by a back-to-back series loss to Bangladesh and England. They won just one game out of 8 complete games which came against Bangladesh. If Sri Lanka play in similar approach, they might play in WC qualifier and it would be a serious point for them. Three-time WC finalists and one-time WC winner, Sri Lanka have to build a team before 2023 WC. India looks favourites here but the Indian side haven’t played competitive cricket since Indian T20 League so Sri Lanka might take advantage of this.
Pitch Report
Colombo’s surface is ideally a batting surface and we might expect lot of runs here. Spinners would be crucial and we will see some extra help we usually see in subcontinent pitches. Chasing would be the best call if we see some dew in the second innings.
Possible XI
India
Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Navdeep Saini
Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Ashen Bandara, Dhananjaya Lakshan
Key Players
India
Shikhar Dhawan
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka
Wanindu Hasaranga
