India vs Sri Lanka 2017, One-Off T20I: Match Prediction

Jan 9, 2019 at 4:01 PM

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India vs Sri Lanka 2017, One-Off T20I: Match Prediction

What the last few days it has been for the Indian national cricket team. They scripted history by becoming the first team to whitewash a Test playing nation in both Test and ODI series in their backyard. The ruthless team India defeated the Islanders 3-0 in the Test series and followed it up with another memorable performance as they defeated the hosts 5-0 in the ODI series.

It was an exceptional performance by the Men in Blue, and they will surely look to finish on a high when the two teams meet for the solitary T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The team management might spring in a few changes, as India looks to prepare themselves for as many as nine T20I’s in the next few months. It is a known fact that Australia and New Zealand will give the Indians a much sterner fight than the Lankans. The hosts, on the other hand, will look to salvage some pride, as this is the format where they can give India a run for their money. Their T20 performance cannot be neglected, as the Island nation recently won T20I in both Australia and South Africa.

Team News

India

The visitors might look to opt for a few changes for their final match of the tour, but whatever combination they play it will be a monumental task for Sri Lanka to overcome the Indian challenge for the first time on the tour, so far. They haven’t given the Islanders any chance what so ever and dominated all three departments of the game from the outset.

Captain Virat Kohli has looked in sublime touch all through the tour and became the 2nd batsman behind Sachin Tendulkar with most ODI hundreds. He had joined the legendary Ricky Ponting who smashed 30 centuries during his illustrious career. Tendulkar’s tally of 49 though is still a long way away.

On the other hand, the bowling department is spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah who became the first bowler to bag 15 wickets in an ODI series in Sri Lanka. He bowled with venom, and his slower balls were very difficult to pick. He bamboozled the opposition batsmen on a consistent basis and returned with his maiden five wicket haul in the 3rd ODI at Pallekele.

It is strange not to see Rishabh Pant in the squad especially after Shikhar Dhawan left for India to be with his ailing mother. It was the absence of Dhawan which allowed Ajinkya Rahane to play his first match of the series and as of now, he will be the one opening with Rohit Sharma.

India Squad:  Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur.

Sri Lanka

I don’t know what sort of a team should Sri Lanka field currently in to get back to winning ways. They have a pretty talented side, but they have failed to gel in the correct moment of the matches which have made them suffer badly. In this series so far, not a single player has gone on to play a match-winning role for the team which has led to their 0-5 battering in the ODI series.

The T20I series will see the introduction of a few new faces while Upul Tharanga who made a comeback in the final ODI will lead the side. Former captain Angelo Mathews is also a part of the squad. Meanwhile, Niroshan Dickwella and Dilshan Munaweera will be the expected openers. They will at least look for a turnaround and finish the tour with at least a win under their belt.

Sri Lanka Squad: Upul Tharanga (c), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilshan Munaweera, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjay, Jeffrey Vandersay, Isuru Udana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Vikum Sanjaya.

Match Predictions

There is no doubt about the fact that India is the clear favorites to win the one-off T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, but T20 is the only format where the swashbuckling Sri Lankan batsmen can go after the bowlers and can at least challenge the Men in Blue. So if nothing dramatic happens, India is expected to win the match comfortably.

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