Asia Cup 2023, Super 4, Match 4: India vs Sri Lanka Preview

The match will be played at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Published - 11 Sept 2023, 16:17 IST | Updated - 11 Sept 2023, 16:56 IST

3 Min Read

India and Sri Lanka will lock horns in match four in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, September 12.

The Indian team management has been preferring to play Shardul Thakur ahead of Mohammed Shami to bolster their batting. However, going with just two frontline seamers in a home World Cup is being considered as a defensive ploy by some. Therefore, India might be tempted to bring back Shami, who has the ability to wreak havoc with the new ball. If Shreyas Iyer gets fit, Rohit Sharma will have to make a tough call to make as they replaced him with KL Rahul in the last game against Pakistan and the Karnataka batter looked good (still on the crease before play resumes).

Sri Lanka were hit with a number of injuries ahead of their Asia Cup campaign. Premier bowlers like Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, and Lahiru Kumar were ruled out ahead of the six-team tournament. Still, the six-time champions have done well to remain unbeaten so far in the competition. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis have been among the runs and captain Dasun Shanaka has contributed with the ball. However, the dismal form of experienced all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva will be a cause of concern. Young Matheesha Pathirana has been exceptional thus far as he has picked up eight wickets in three games. He bowled to the Indian batters during his stint with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League 2023 and that should hold him in a good state.

Pitch and conditions:

The pacers can get decent movement off the deck at the R Premadasa Stadium if they bowl good lines with the new ball. The spinners play a vital role as the game progresses. Hitting the big shots could be difficult for a new batter and that is why it is crucial for the set batter to capitalise. With the forecast for rain, the captain winning the toss could opt to bowl first.

Probable Playing XI For IND vs SL:

India

India will be buoyed by the performance of openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who scored sparkling half-centuries against Pakistan. Shreyas Iyer, who suffered a back niggle ahead of the toss, was replaced by KL Rahul. The Karnataka batter should get another game.

Probable Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankans are unbeaten in the competition thus far. They defeated Bangladesh twice and Afghanistan once. The defending champions are likely to stick to the same combination that has brought them success in Asia Cup 2023.

Probable Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (C), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana