What Has Happened So Far:
After a one-sided Test series that saw the touring India side completely outclass their hosts Sri Lanka by 3-0, the two countries begin a five fixture ODI series on Sunday at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
It was a rather one-sided Test series that not only saw India win all three Tests but also by whopping margins. After thumping Sri Lanka by 304 runs in the first Test, they raked up successive innings wins after asking the hosts to follow on.
With that being the backdrop of this ODI series, it would be surprising to see Sri Lanka offer any kind of resistance.
Head to Head:
The teams have played each other in 150 previous ODIs, of which India have won 83 and Sri Lanka 55. One game was tied, and 11 of the fixtures finished in a “No Result”.
The most recent meeting of the sides came at the Oval in the Champions Trophy in England in early June. A game that Sri Lanka won by seven wickets, bringing an end to a run of six straight losses against India in ODIs.
Amazingly, Sri Lanka haven’t beaten India in a bilateral ODI series since 1997, when they were victorious on home soil. The most recent series played in Sri Lanka was in 2012, and ended in a 4-1 success for the visitors.
Can The Inexperienced Sri Lankan Squad Stand Up?
The hosts have recalled the all-rounders Thisara Perera and Milinda Siriwardana to their squad for the upcoming series, along with the left arm seam bowler Vishwa Fernando and the left arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara, both of whom played in the losing Test series against India, but both of whom have still to make their ODI debuts.
Perera will be playing ODI cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy, most recently he has been appearing for Gloucestershire in the Big Blast T20 in England. Siriwardana’s last ODI appearance was against Bangladesh in April.
Interestingly, it’s Upul Tharanga who will lead the ODI squad, which means he will need to shrug off his poor form from the Tests where he scored just one fifty, and captain from the front.
India Finally Thinking About 2019 World Cup:
India have rested both leading spinners, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as seamers Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami. The good news is they have brought in wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, something they hadn’t done for the Champions Trophy.
KL Rahul, who has returned to fitness and Manish Pandey who is probably the in-form player amongst the tourists in this format, have returned to the squad. There is also place for Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma, both of whom were rested from the squad that defeated the West Indies in the Caribbean.
Rohit Sharma has been promoted up to the vice-captaincy role, which speaks volumes about his growth as a cricketer.