Deepak Chahar’s heroics with the bat helped India secure the three-match series in Colombo, and the Shikhar Dhawan-led visitors will return to the same venue on Friday hoping to complete a big series sweep.
Both teams have inexperienced squads, but India’s’second-string’ squad has sealed the ODI series with two back-to-back victories over Sri Lanka, who have adopted a youth philosophy after their senior players have failed to win matches.
When the Shikhar Dhawan-led squad takes on a mentally shattered Sri Lankan side in the third ODI in Colombo on Friday, they will be full of confidence. Apart from attempting a clean sweep, coach Rahul Dravid will be considering the fact that India only has four limited overs matches left – the third ODI and three T20Is – before going to the T20 World Cup. In the final ODI, he might consider giving a couple of more great kids a chance.
With the series essentially won, India’s management may opt for a rotation approach in Friday’s dead rubber against Sri Lanka, allowing the new IPL stars to get some international experience.
Coach Rahul Dravid may opt for Devdutt Padikkal or Ruturaj Gaikwad, two excellent List A players, instead of Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw. If the team management feels appropriate, Sanju Samson might make his ODI debut at the cost of the aggressive Ishan Kishan.
Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav are the backbone of India’s young middle order and are anticipated to keep their places, with the Pandya brothers (Hardik and Krunal) filling the two all-rounder slots.
With their spectacular victory in the second One-Day International, all worries about the depth of the youthful Indian team now in Sri Lanka were dispelled. The first ODI was all about demonstrating their authority and class. The side’s character and resilience were on display in the second ODI, when India rallied back from 193 for 7 to chase down the 276-run mark with five balls to spare, thanks to Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Sri Lanka is attempting to reclaim its pride
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will take heart from their improved performance in the second ODI and seek to reverse the trend against the ruthless Indians. The islanders, on the other hand, would like their big stars to come up and turn their promising starts into massive wins.
Avishka is the opener. Fernando has been scoring runs, but he needs the other batsmen to help him out. Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Dhananjaya de Silva, and others would benefit not only the squad but also themselves in their future careers if they performed well.
