India turned around their overseas fortune with a massive 278 run win over Sri Lanka at P. Sara Oval. With this win, Virat Kohli leads India also leveled the Test series 1-1 as they bounced back after the lackluster first Test defeat at Galle. Now, India has edge over Sri Lanka to win Test series after 22 years. This Sri Lanka team is going through the rebuilding phase, so this is the time for India to notch up their first series victory since the 1-0 series win in West Indies.
Tomorrow (August 27) at S.S.C, Colombo the third and final Test will start. Nevertheless, for India the match will be done or die situation. At the same time, young Sri Lanka team would like to show their talent. Here are five things India must do to win this Test and subsequently win the series.
Five things India must do to win the third test over Sri Lanka
1. Who will open the innings: India’s opening slots are at total fiasco? In the first match, India lost Murali Vijay due to injury and in the second Test Shikhar Dhawan ruled out of remaining series for a same reason. At the end of the second Test at P.Sara Oval, India lost two of its most experienced openers. In the first Test, Lokesh Rahul was Vijay’s replacement and in the second Test he played as Dhawan’s replacement . Rahul made most of his opportunity scoring a hundred in the first innings of P.Sara Oval Test. At the moment he is the only batsman who could fix the problem of the first opener, but India do not have any genuine opener right now, so they must start with Cheteshwar Pujara, who expressed his desire to open the innings while playing a first-class match against Australia A at Chennai.
2. Unsettle middle order:
Stop throwing wicket in the middle as that barred India from scoring big score. Indian middle is notoriously unpredictable in recent years. In the last two Tests, the middle order has become a problem for India.
In the first match, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli scored centuries, but the middle order except Wriddhiman Saha could not do well as a result India squandered a chance to put a big total on board. In their last two matches, India in their first innings could not score 400 because middle order batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane threw their wickets and denied them from scoring a big individual score. India must score a big total while batting in their first innings because lead is required for India to win the Test.
3. Keep Naman Ojha as Wicketkeeper: In-form wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha could not keep the wicket in Sri Lanka’s slump to a 278 run defeat, KL Rahul did an extraordinary job behind the wicket. Selectors also called Naman Ojha as Saha’s replacement, who has scored a hundred against South Africa A in a first-class match at Krishnagiri Stadium, Wayanad, Kerala. So, now the question is will India start with him, or prefer opener Lokesh Rahul to keep the wicket. No doubt, Naman Ojha will make the playing XI as a wicket keeper batsman.
4. Rohit Sharma at no.5: Rohit Sharma looked good at no.5 in the last Test and Ajinkya Rahane’ s first innings at no.3 last only 18 balls, but in the second innings scored 126 that helped India to take a lead of 412 runs. So, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri should stop experimenting with the middle order. They should give them time to settle down at their current position.
5. Captain Virat Kohli and his bowlers: Indian bowling department looked more settled in this series than the batting department. Even Kohli praised his bowlers’ second day effort as best in recent time. Well, but he should show more maturity while using his bowlers.
In the second Test on the second day he started day’s business with Umesh Yadav and Stuart Binny, who got a first Test wicket, as a result Sri Lanka was looked settle in their first innings in the second Test. When India badly needed a wicket Ishant Sharma took the crucial wicket of Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal. So, in the morning he should call his breakthrough bowler Ishant Sharma to utilize the moisture of the morning with Yadav. Virat even called last match’s hero Ravichandran Ashwin’s, who took 5 wickets for 42 and ensured India’s victory, just before the lunch. Ashwin could start days business with Ishant as they are most lethal weapon of Virat.