The Men in Blue have been utterly ruthless on their tour to Sri Lanka so far and have already won everything which has come their way. The hosts, on the other hand, has been outplayed by the visitors in all three departments of the game and they haven’t found any answer to their brilliance with the bat, bowl and in the field.
The opening ODI saw the Men in Blue thump the Islanders by nine wickets with more than 22 overs to spare. It was dominance at its very best, as the Indians rolled over a lacklustre Sri Lanka with utmost comfort.
Despite getting off to a brilliant start, courtesy openers Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka, the hosts failed to consolidate their strong position and kept losing wickets at regular wickets during the middle stages which never allowed them to get going.
The hosts were eventually skittled out for a paltry 216 in 43 overs, and come back man Axar Patel was the wrecker in chief who returned with impressive figures of 3/34 in his allotted ten overs. In the 2nd part of the match, Southpaw Shikhar Dhawan continued his dream run and smacked a breathtaking century which took India home with half the innings left. Captain Virat Kohli also played an important hand and remained unbeaten on 83.
Recent Form
India
The Men in Blue have been sensational in each department of the game and will be looking to trounce the hosts by a 5-0 margin. They have looked a complete package with most of their players performing. They have a strong bench strength too, and the Lankans haven’t been able to test even their reserve players.
Hardik Pandya has been a find for the national team, and the all-rounder has evolved as one of the best all-rounders in the world especially in the limited-overs format. Though he still has a lot to prove, the swashbuckling batsman has a big future ahead of him. The replacements have also performed well with Axar bagging three in his come back match.
The batting department looks solid, and the bowlers have responded terrifically too. The pace department has been brilliant in the recent past, and they will look to continue their exceptional run even in the 2nd ODI.
Sri Lanka
It is perhaps the worst Sri Lankan side ever, as they have been no match for the Men in Blue in any of the formats, till now. Their batting lacks the stability, and after the untimely injury to one of the mainstays Asela Gunaratne, Sri Lanka has been pegged back. The middle-order isn’t great and with Angelo Mathews not in the best of forms, Sri Lanka has gone down pretty badly.
The opening partnership was a bright spot for the hosts in the previous encounter. Niroshan DIckwella is a dangerous customer up the order, and it might be too early to comment, but he might well prove to a like for like replacement for Sanath Jayasuriya especially with the audacious shots he executes on occasions.
It will be a Herculean task for them to stage a comeback in the series especially with the sort of rhythm India is in, but they have some able talented in their ranks who can turn it around which was evident for their performance against India in the Champions Trophy group clash.
Predicted XI’S
India- Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka- Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Wanidu Hasaranga, Thisara Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga, Dusmantha Chameera
2nd ODI Prediction
It is a foregone conclusion that who will be the favourites for the 2nd ODI especially after India’s excellent run in international cricket. Sri Lanka has been mediocre, to say the least, and has been sloppy on some occasions. Unless something dramatic happens, the Men in Blue looks well set to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The hosts will be hoping to gain heart from their brilliant victory against India in the Champions Trophy and will to replicate their performance from that particular match.