Team India is set to play co-hosts Sri Lanka in their next match in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage. The two sides will square off at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo Today.
India is coming off a convincing victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in their previous match, which had to be played on the reserve day. As a result, they are scheduled to play two consecutive ODIs.
Sri Lanka aims to maintain their impressive performance in ODI cricket, remaining undefeated in the Asia Cup and hoping to capitalize on their home-ground advantage.
VENUE FOR INDIA – SRI LANKA MATCH
R.Premadasa Stadium generally provides favorable conditions for batsmen, particularly in the initial innings, offering a good combination of speed and bounce that encourages exciting contests between bat and ball.
However, as the match goes on, the pitch tends to lose some of its pace and becomes more conducive to spin bowling, posing challenges for batsmen looking to score freely. Spinners are likely to have a significant impact on the game during the middle overs.
The forecast for Colombo anticipates cloudy skies with the possibility of a thunderstorms, particularly in the 2nd innings.
Average 1st Inns scores 232
Average 2nd Inns scores 191
TEAM PREVIEW
INDIA
In their last match against Pakistan, India secured a commanding 228-run win, excelling with both bat and ball.
Batting first, they posted a formidable total of 357 runs, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul all making significant contributions, including centuries.
India’s bowling was equally dominant, dismissing Pakistan for just 128 runs. Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul was particularly noteworthy.
It will be interesting to see if India makes any changes in the playing XI as they will have to take work load into consideration as they are playing cricket non-stop for the last two days and today will be a third consecutive day that they will be on the field. Most Probably they will continue with the same playing XI.
EXPECTED XI OF INDIA vs SRI LANKA
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka is also riding a wave of success, having beaten Bangladesh by 21 runs. They batted first, amassing 257 runs, led by Samarawickrama’s impressive 93 and Kusal Mendis’ crucial half-century.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers delivered a strong performance, limiting Bangladesh to 236 runs, with Theekshana, Shanaka, and Pathirana each taking three wickets.
Sri Lanka would also like to continue the winning momentum And Look to seal the Final Berth Today. They are also expected to be unchanged against India Today.
EXPECTED XI OF SRI LANKA vs INDIA
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana
PREDICTION OF THE MATCH
Despite India’s back-to-back matches due to rain, the prediction is that they will defeat Sri Lanka in this game, based on their team’s strength and the current form of their players.
Backing India to beat Sri Lanka and seal the Finals Berth.