A commanding 7-wicket triumph in the series opener by Shikhar Dhawan and Co. in less than 48 hours ago, has already set the tone of this bilateral series between India and Sri Lanka. Now the visitors would like to stamp their authority over the struggling hosts, as both teams lock horns in the second One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series on Tuesday (July 20) at the R. Premadasa stadium.
Along with skipper Dhawan’s unbeaten 86, India saw a few impressive debuts from Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the first game. Also, making a comeback in the scheme of things, Prithvi Shaw, along with Kuldeep Yadav came up with some handy contributions. However, old fox Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not have a good game as he gave away 63 runs in his 9 overs without any success. Hence, in the second match, he would like to rectify things a little bit.
Furthermore, from India’s point of view, it was good to see Hardik Pandya’s return as a third seamer. He bowled five overs, mostly at the death, and got one wicket as well. It seems the team management is slowly getting him into the grooves with ball in hand and preparing him for the all-rounder’s role for the T20 World Cup.
Now, if we focus on Sri Lanka, one must feel they did fairly well to post a 260 plus score, despite losing wickets at regular intervals throughout their innings. There were quite a few starts, but unfortunately for them, no one went ahead to make it count by scoring a big one.
Interestingly, in the first ODI Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bat due to historical evidences. However, during the play it clearly seemed, batting under lights was far easier. So, perhaps if Shanaka gets another toss in his favour, this time he might opt for the other option. Also, fielding first should allow their slow bowlers to be more effective on that dry Premadasa surface.
Head to head
India have won 92 matches in ODIs against Sri Lanka and lost 56.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Keeping Shikhar Dhawan’s record against Sri Lanka in mind, he is an ideal choice for captain in your fantasy teams. Along with him, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav should easily walk into the fantasy XI.
- Pick more spinners, when it comes to bowling. You can even make someone like Kuldeep Yadav or Dhananjaya de Silva your vice-captain.
- Wanindu Hasaranga is in a rich vein of form, and apart from picking wickets, he is quite handy with the bat as well. He should be one of the top all-rounder choices.
Likely XIs:
India: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Binod Bhanuka (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Aslanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan
Perdition
India to register another comfortable victory.