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ToggleSri Lanka is going into the three-match ODI series, under a new captain- Charith Asalanka, while India will get their experienced captain Rohit Sharma back in the team. The SL vs Ind series will be the start of a new chapter of Indian cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir, as the senior players mark their return.
The last ten overs-phase (41-50) is the most important period of the batting or bowling, as the games tend to change a lot during this period.
Since the start of the year 2023, before the SL vs Ind series, the Indian team has managed to nail 1637 ODI runs in 26 innings, at an average of under 25 and a strike rate of over 125. The lower-middle order becomes a very important part of the team in this period, as the blue brigade, having lost 67 wickets in 26 innings, has cracked 107 boundaries and 78 over-boundaries.
Coming into the SL vs Ind series, Sri Lanka has collected 1415 ODI runs in 28 innings, at an average of just over nineteen, and a strike rate of 106.47. They have lost 74 wickets in the last ten overs while smacking 101 boundaries and 68 sixes. They can develop their skills by putting more aggression in the death overs.
In the case of the Indian team with the ball in hand, they have picked up 56 wickets, since the start of 2023, in just 19 innings, at a bowling average of under 17 and a strike rate of under 15. Their bowlers have been belted away for 69 boundaries and 35 sixes, besides carrying an economy rate of 6.64.
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The Sri Lanka side has gone for 1192 ODI runs in 23 innings, at an average of 22.92 and a strike rate of under 18. The economy rate of 7.72 is quite poor and hardly provides them the cushion to put pressure on the opposition side. Their bowlers have been drilled for 82 boundaries and 42 sixes in this period.
India doesn’t have the luxury of Jasprit Bumrah in the series, and that makes it interesting to see how Mohmmad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh bowl in the last ten overs of the innings.
SL vs IND: Weather Report And Pitch Report- 1st ODI, India Tour of Sri Lanka 2024
AccuWeather suggests that during the first SL vs Ind ODI game, the afternoon temperature of Colombo is expected to be around 31 degrees Celsius, with not much rain being predicted. The 100% cloud cover means the bowlers can expect to get some early swing with the new ball, while dew is expected to make a huge contribution in the contest.
| SL vs IND Weather Forecast | |
| Temperature | 31-degree Celsius |
| Weather Forecast | Cloudy with thunderstorm |
| Dew Point | 25-degree Celsius |
| Humidity Level | 74% |
| Cloud Cover | 100% |
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SL vs IND Pitch Report
The average first innings ODI score in R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has been around 225 to 240 in the last three years. When the last SL vs Ind ODI series was held at this ground in 2021, the average total was around 258.
In the last 10 years, teams batting first have won 19 of the 37 games, at a winning rate of 51.4%, while the 17 results have gone in the favour of the defending side, at a winning rate of 45.9%.
The off-spinners have been pretty successful at this ground, before the SL vs Ind 2024 series, with an economy rate of 4.5, while the fast bowlers have an economy of around 5.5. The chinaman and leg-spin bowlers have gone for an economy rate of over five.
Kushal Mendis has nailed 798 runs in 18 ODI innings at this ground, with an average of just under 50 and a strike rate of 87.60, besides celebrating eight half-centuries. Akila Dhananjaya is the highest wicket-taker on the ground, with 19 scalps in nine innings, at an economy rate of just below five.