Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
It’s something we are all not used to… Virat Kohli missing a match for India.
Since July 2016, India have played 43 international matches, and Kohli has played 42 of them, only missing a single Test against Australia earlier in 2017 due to a shoulder injury. The man is almost superhuman, maintaining unbelievable form over this period in all formats, becoming the only player in world cricket to average 50+ in all three formats in his career.
India will miss Kohli, but it’s the right time to have a rest considering the South Africa tour is fast approaching. For India to have a chance in that series, Kohli needs to be at his best. Also, a fantastic opportunity awaits for Rohit Sharma to show his leadership skills against a Sri Lanka side that has had an awful year in ODIs.
It will also be interesting to see what combination India go with in their batting order. Who will take up the number three position? Is Dinesh Karthik India’s solution to their no. 4 issue? Does Shreyas Iyer and Minesh Pandey get a game?
The big one for me – Ajinkya Rahane should play a number three to help him find some sort of form ahead of South Africa.
Without Kohli, Sri Lanka would have some hope of causing an upset. However, India still look a strong side in home conditions and Sri Lanka have had a year to forget in limited overs cricket. Incidentally, Sri Lanka are without a win in ODIs since chasing down 320+ against India in the Champions Trophy, and are now on a run of 12 ODI losses in a row.
Dhananjaya de Silva, the hero of Delhi – the highest scorer in a fourth innings in India as a visiting batsman, will miss the game, which is a huge blow for Sri Lanka. The return of Angelo Mathews to the ODI team will help, and he has hit some form in the Tests and can bowl a few overs. Much will also be asked of Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella.
Looking at recent form – India have
seven series wins in a row and Sri Lanka 12 ODI losses in a row – it all points to a one-sided series. Can Sri Lanka finally find a combination that works in ODI cricket?
Key to an India win
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| Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are two of the finest ODI bowlers. |
Key to a Sri Lanka win
Predicted teams:
India: 1 Rohit Sharma (c), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka: 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Danushka Galathilaka, 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Thisara Perera (c), 7 Asela Gunaratne, 8 Sachith Pathirana, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Akila Dhananjaya
Stats & Facts:
- India have won their last seven ODI series in a row, while Sri Lanka have lost their last 12 ODIs.
- The last time Sri Lanka played an ODI in India, Rohit Sharma scored 264.
- In 2017, Sri Lanka have played 26 ODIs. They have won just 4 and lost 21. Where teams have played a minimum of 20 ODIs in a year, Sri Lanka’s bowling average is the worst in history (46.96), going past Bangladesh’s 43.52 in 2003.
- Recently, India thrashed Sri Lanka 5-0 on Sri Lankan soil.
- Angelo Mathews needs 88 runs to reach 5,000 ODI runs. He will become the 10th Sri Lankan to reach the mark.
- The last time Sri Lanka beat India in an ODI in India was in 2009. Since then, they have lost 8 out of 9 games v India in India.
- MS Dhoni needs 174 runs to reach 10,000 ODI runs. He will become the 12th player in history to reach the mark.
Prediction:
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