CT 2017, Match 8, Ind V SL Preview: India eyes semi-final berth in clash against Sri Lanka

England became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing Champions Trophy when they won against the Kiwis last night. India, the defending champions, will have similar goals when they take on their neighbours Sri Lanka at the Oval in London on Wednesday.

After routing their rivals in their first group game by 124 runs, India are looking a strong contender to lift the title again. Their only area of concern was their fielding against Pakistan the other day, which was more of an aberration as they are a good fielding side otherwise. Rohit Sharma’s return from injury and immediate runs in the big game came as a big boost for the team. Kohli, Yuvraj and Dhawan also helped themselves to form and are raring to go at the sterner challenges that lie ahead. India again starts as favourites against a Sri Lankan side, who have a history of doing well in ICC events.

The Islanders have struggled in international cricket in the last year. Ever since greats Jayawardene and Sangakkara walked away from the game, the Sri Lankan side is not the same anymore. Injury to their skipper Angelo Mathews in the first game did not help their cause at all. Tharanga stood in for Mathews but consumed 37 extra minutes to complete their 50 overs which prompted the ICC to ban him for the next 2 games. His Champions Trophy might well be over as Sri Lanka have a slender chance of progressing to the semi-finals.

Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field

Captains speak:

Virat Kohli: “We would have bowled first as well, but the pitch here is very good, doesn’t change much. So we are not worried much about the toss. The conditions apparently are going to stay the same. So we do have to bat well at any stage of the game. The team is in a good space. We have brought good momentum into the game, but we need to play good cricket today to win. We are unchanged. Maybe for the next one we will look to do something different. Yuvi has been playing well since his return, had a decent IPL as well and he comes to England and gets runs as well. Rohit playing well too, him in form is a great sign and gives the others a bit of cushion. ”

Angelo Mathews: “We will bowl first. There is grass on the wicket and it is overcast as well. Upul Tharanga is out suspended, Kapugedara got injured yesterday and Prasanna misses out today. Myself, Danushka Gunathilaka and Thisara Perera are in. Feels awesome to be back in the team. We bowled really well and fielded pretty well. Our batting didn’t click, hopefully we’ll get it right today. The pressure is on, but we don’t think about it. We just want to go out there and enjoy ourselves.”

Playing XI:

Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella(w), Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews(c), Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

Focus will be on:

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni did not get a hit in the first game but for India’s own good, he must get time in the middle. The 35-year old isn’t the same player anymore but has the temperament and experience to still contribute to India’s cause. He is a crucial member of the side for he takes up the No. 5 position in the batting order. The Jharkhand-born cricketer is under the spotlight in the last 18 months and it won’t be any different in this eight-nation tournament. Of late, Dhoni tends to take extra time before getting his eye in. But he has recently struggled to catch up later in the innings which has been a concern as Dhoni has scored a few sluggish runs. All been said, Dhoni still has in him to set the stage alight. He scored a few crucial knocks in the IPL where he struck the ball cleanly. India will be hoping that Dhoni gets time in the middle before the knockout stages begin.

Nuwan Pradeep

This fast bowler made his debut in 2012 but got an extended run in the side only since last year. Pradeep ‘s number might not look too impressive but he is a fine bowler who showed his worth in the last game against the Proteas. Bowling one change, Pradeep began operating in the 9th over and immediately had Quinton de Kock, who is a fine batsman, in trouble. He eventually got the star batsman’s wicket when he edged one behind to the keeper. If Malinga hadn’t dropped du Plessis at fine leg, Pradeep’s figures would have looked different and Sri Lanka would have been chasing way less than what they actually did. He had figures of 8-0-34-2 before Duminy took 10 runs from his final two deliveries to spoil his returns. Pradeep hits the deck hard and extracts lateral movement off the wicket. He will again hold the key against a star-studded batting line-up of India.

Team Combination

India

India draw the ire of many experts and fans when they left out Ravichandran Ashwin for the Pakistan game. He is again likely to be left out for this clash as India wouldn’t want to tinker with a winning combination. The manner in which Bumrah, Umesh and Bhuvneshwar have been bowling, it is tough to omit anyone of them, especially in English conditions. Jadeja is the preferred first choice spinner; also due to the fact that Sri Lanka doesn’t have too many left-handers in their XI. The emergence of Pandya, who gives India firepower in the batting department, and a fast bowling option besides his oomph fielding. Rohit and Dhawan have a great record opening the innings together in India which was further bolstered in the last game. Kohli will bat at No. 3 and Yuvraj will follow at 4. Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav are two important players at No. 5 and 6.

Sri Lanka

The absence of Tharanga at the top will hurt Sri Lanka. He was their most experienced in their team and had a great ODI record. Dickwella, who got a fine 41 in the last game, might open the innings alongside Kusal Perera. Kusal Mendis and Chandimal need to step up as they occupy the No. 3 and 4 slots. Mathews at 5 will give the middle order strength. Gunaratne will take care of the lower middle order. Malinga has to lead this attack if they want to make any impact against India. Lakmal and Pradeep are great supporting seamers. Prasanna too is expected to hold on to his place despite conceding 72 runs in his 10 overs against the Proteas.

Stat Attack:

3 – Wickets required for Ravindra Jadeja to move past Ashish Nehra’s tally of ODI wickets and into the list of top 10 wicket-takers of India in ODIs. He currently has 153 wickets and is ranked 12.

150 – This will be the 150th ODI played between India and Sri Lanka. India has won 83 of these games.

17 – Runs required by Rohit Sharma to overtake Gautam Gambhir’s tally of 5238 runs in ODI cricket.