India and Sri Lanka move on to the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad for the second ODI of their five match series, with the home side having taken a 1-0 lead thanks to their 169 run victory at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack in the first contest.
The outcome of the first fixture seemed inevitable from the moment that Sri Lanka agreed to step in and play an ODI series, to compensate for the abandonment of the West Indies tour to India, due to payment issues between the Caribbean players and their own Board of Control.
Although Sri Lanka have a fine history of success in the limited overs formats, they have a poor record in ODI cricket in India. Having played eight bilateral series prior to their latest tour, but never having yet won a series, their best result being a 1-1 draw, back in 1997-98.
If the tourists are to come from behind and record their first success in India, they will need to win more than one ODI in a series for the first time ever on Indian soil.
However, with just a matter of days to prepare for the tour, the tourists looked as rusty as was expected in Cuttack. Six weeks of fitness training was not the preparation that the side would have had, if the tour had been scheduled in advance.
Not everything went well for the home side in Cuttack, with their fast bowler Varun Aaron injuring a quadriceps muscle in his right leg.
The player who managed to bowl just 4.1 overs before having to leave the field is under observation, and his further participation in the remainder of the series is still unknown.
The 25 year old Aaron has been plagued by injuries since making his international debut, but the selectors will be anxious that the latest setback is just temporary, as a bowler who delivered one delivery at 152.1 kmh in Cuttack will be an integral part of the team’s attack in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.