Sri Lanka vs India Match Preview, 2nd ODI

Sri Lanka and India square off in the second ODI on Sunday, August 4, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The first ODI turned out to be a riveting encounter and fans will expect a similar thriller on Sunday.

In the first game, Sri Lanka won an important toss and opted to bat first on a sluggish surface. Pathum Nissanka played an elegant knock as he scored a 75-ball 56, hitting nine boundaries. However, the other frontline batters failed to get themselves accustomed to the tricky surface. Indian spinners got a lot of assistance from the surface and wreaked havoc through the middle overs.

The hosts were staring down the barrel at 101/5 but Dunith Wellalage played a stunning innings of 67 not out off 65 balls to take Sri Lanka to a total of 230/8 in their 50 overs. He also received good support from the likes of Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Akila Dananjaya to take Sri Lanka past the average first innings score of 225.

Also Read: 'We should have got that one run' - Disappointed Rohit Sharma reacts to dramatic tie against Sri Lanka in first ODI

In reply, skipper Rohit Sharma got India off to a blazing start as he amassed 58 off 47 balls. India lost Shubman Gill, who struggled during his 35-ball knock of 16 runs, in the 13th over, with the score at 75. Three wickets fell in quick succession as India went from 75/0 to 87/3. Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli stitched a 43-run stand off just 45 balls to wrestle the initiative back in favour of India. However, they departed in consecutive overs as Sri Lanka bounced back into the game.

Axar Patel and KL Rahul played cautiously and added 57 runs off 92 balls to take India to the brink of a hard-fought win. However, from 189/5, the visitors collapsed to 230 as the match ended in a tie. Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka took the wickets of Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh off consecutive deliveries to get his team out of jail.

Experts have said that the tie would serve as a major boost to the morale of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, favourites India would want to assert their dominance to get back to winning ways. The Men in Blue have got a fair idea of the conditions on offer and would want to plan their approach better. In the first game, three Indian batters fell to the sweep shots. While it is a handy weapon to use on turning tracks, the Indian batters will have to be wary not to overdo it. Sri Lanka's strength lies in their spin-bowling attack and they would want to exert as much pressure as possible on the Indian batters in favourable conditions. 

Also Read: SL vs IND: Dunith Wellalage draws inspiration from Pathum Nissanka, reveals bowling plans in first ODI

R Premadasa Stadium Pitch Report

150 ODIs have been played so far at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Batting first has been the more fruitful approach at this venue. 80 games have been won by teams batting first, while chasing teams have emerged victorious on only 59 occasions. Spinners had a huge say in the first game and more of the same is expected in the second ODI. Batting will only get tougher as the match progresses and the captain who wins the toss would be inclined to bat first.

Match Details:

Head-To-Head Records

SL vs IND Probable Playing XIs

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka have been jolted with injuries to their frontline pacers like Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, and Dilshan Madushanka. The onus is on Asitha Fernando and Mohamed Shiraz to step up against the strong Indian batting lineup. The former had a decent outing in the first game, where he bagged the wicket of Shreyas Iyer with a peach of delivery. Considering the spin-friendly conditions on offer, Sri Lanka might be tempted to bring in Maheesh Theekshana in place of Shiraz. Janith Liyanage can chip in with his medium pace if needed.

Predicted XI

Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (WK), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (C), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Mohamed Shiraz/Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando

India:

India do not need to press the panic button as they had the first ODI in their grip for quite some time. Their combination seems quite settled for the conditions. The Indian fans will want their batters to fire and put the Sri Lankan bowlers under pressure.

Predicted XI

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Washington Sundar, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj