Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

CWC 2019 Match 44: India v Sri Lanka Preview Dream11. IND v SL Preview Dream11 Prediction

At one point in the earth’s existence, it seemed like only three things were certain: death, taxes and an India-Sri Lanka match. Their last meeting, in any format, was 16 months ago; a long time in this rivalry.

For India, this is more than just a simple hit out. It is an opportunity to put pressure on Australia for the top spot. New Zealand in the Semi Final looks a much more attractive proposition than England, and if South Africa can spring a surprise against Australia, an India win here makes this a reality. Virat Kohli’s team have only lost one game, but there is room for improvement, especially in the middle order. Will this be the game where everything clicks?

Sri Lanka will play their final match. However, it has been a better campaign than expected, picking up three wins along the way including that memorable one over England that opened the Semi Finals race right up. They would certainly be ruing a poor defeat against South Africa when their tournament was still alive, but they have positives to take home. One is Avishka Fernando, who has breathed life into Sri Lanka’s flailing ODI fortunes. Will they sign off with a win?

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.

Key to an India win

Rohit Sharma has been terrific. The second player to score four hundreds in a single World Cup, Rohit has sent a message to his opponents: miss a chance and pay the price. With KL Rahul providing strong enough company, strong opening stands are crucial to India’s chances in this World Cup. With the middle order still striving for form, the onus is on the top order – including Virat Kohli – to score big and enable the middle order to play with freedom.

Also, how good is Jasprit Bumrah? He was rewarded with wickets last time out against Bangladesh, and also remains crucial to India’s chances in CWC 2019. The pace trio (if India decide to choose all three) also including Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami will be looking for a good outing, making inroads to the Sri Lanka top order to set the game up. How well they bowl at the death is also an interesting feature to look forward to ahead of a possible Semi Final against hard-hitting England.

Also read: Is Jasprit Bumrah the best bowler in the world across formats?

Key to a Sri Lanka win

Can Sri Lanka throw a spanner into India’s form and confidence? How their batting holds up against India’s attack will be key. Avishka Fernando has looked super impressive in this campaign to date, but can Sri Lanka’s top order deliver as a unit? The platform was set vs West Indies and they were rewarded with a 300+ score. They need another big innings or two at the top here.

Also, can Sri Lanka get the better of India’s top three? Lasith Malinga was in the wickets last time out against West Indies, but more is needed from the other bowlers to get the better of India. Wickets in the powerplay will be key, but who will be the bowler(s) building pressure in the middle overs? Sri Lanka need to force India to graft away in the middle, giving themselves a chance of restricting India at the death.

Pitch and conditions

A flat, slow pitch is expected for Leeds, with possibly some turn. A bright sunny day is also on the agenda.

Possible Playing 11

This is the last chance for India’s middle order to find some form ahead of the Semi Finals. Will Dinesh Karthik keep his spot or will Kedar Jadhav return? Also, with the pitch a chance of turning, India could revert back to two wristspinners. It will be interesting to see who misses out between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami if the case.

India: 1. Rohit Sharma, 2. KL Rahul, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Rishabh Pant, 5. MS Dhoni (wk), 6. Dinesh Karthik, 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Mohammed Shami, 9. Kuldeep Yadav, 10. Yuzvendra Chahal, 11. Jasprit Bumrah

Thisara Perera could return for Sri Lanka in place of Lahiru Thirimanne.

Sri Lanka: 1. Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 2. Kusal Perera (wk), 3. Avishka Fernando, 4. Kusal Mendis, 5. Angelo Mathews, 6. Lahiru Thirimanne/Thisara Perera, 7. Dhananjaya de Silva, 8. Isuru Udana, 9. Lasith Malinga, 10. Kasun Rajitha, 11. Jeffrey Vandersay

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Also read: Enjoy cricket betting online? Key things you must keep in mind!

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head in World Cups: Matches 7, India 3, Sri Lanka 4.
• The last WC meeting between the sides was the 2011 Final, where India won by six wickets.
• Jasprit Bumrah needs one wicket to reach 100 in ODIs. If he achieves it in this match, he will become the second quickest India seamer to the mark after Mohammed Shami.
• No batsman has scored five hundreds in a single World Cup edition. Rohit Sharma has the chance to do so.
• Avishka Fernando became the youngest Sri Lankan to score a WC century.

Match Prediction

While there are certainly some positives for Sri Lanka in recent times, expect India to have too much in the locker for them.

Also read: Is Jasprit Bumrah the best bowler in the world across formats?

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.

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