Formidable India raring to go against Sri Lanka in ODIs as stalwarts return

With the T20I series won handsomely enough, Team India is all set to rock and roll in the ODIs as the two stalwarts return in the form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. En route to the 2025 Champions Trophy, the Men in Blue will be playing six ODIs, three of which will be against Sri Lanka in this ongoing tour while the other three will be against England which will be played just ahead of the championship.

India will be eyeing to test their middle-order strength which will feature the return of KL Rahul, and the duo of Kohli and Rohit. The inclusion of Riyan Parag is also another exciting addition to this list while Washington Sundar’s impressive form in the shorter format of the game will also put him on the watch list.

The last two ODIs played by India against Sri Lanka saw them taking on their neighbours in the World Cup and the Asia Cup final. Mohammed Siraj shattered the spine of the Lankans on both the occasions with figures of 3/16 (7) and 6/21 (7) respectively. Sri Lanka’s top-order in recent times has shown promise and will be hoping to pull off a similar show when they meet the mighty Indian brigade.

Venue Watch:

The surface in Colombo has always offered a balanced contest of the bat and the ball. The new ball tends to drift around significantly but once it has lost its lacquer, then the batters can get themselves in and pile up a decent number on the board. As the lights come on, dew can make its presence felt, eventually aiding the batting side but one can expect a decent contest of the willow and leather.

Head to Head:

Matches played: 168

India: 99

Sri Lanka: 57

Match Details:

Match – Sri Lanka vs India, 1st ODI

Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Date: 2nd August, 2024

Time: 2:30 PM

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (Captain), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Nishan Madushka, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Dunith Wellalage