Sri Lanka v India, 3rd ODI - India Predicted XI

The team India continued their dominating run in Sri Lanka. They beat the hosts by 7 wickets in the second ODI to register a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. However, the win in the second game was not as convincing as the men in blue would have wanted it to be. From a strong commanding position of 109/0, the team slumped to 131/7.

Needless to say, the tremors of a middle-order failure have been felt in the dressing room. With the third ODI coming up, one could expect to see a few changes being incorporated in the Indian lineup. Sri Lanka have surely made a statement that they are not pushovers with a spirited fightback in the side. Their fightback, in the bowling department, will make the Indian team think about an extra batsman.

The third ODI will be played on August 27. A win in the match will give team India an unassailable lead of 3-0. On the other hand, team Sri Lanka will have their pride at stake and hence would want to give their all in the game. Amidst this situation, the think tanks of both the sides will be quite active in getting the permutations right.

Here we pick the India Predicted XI for the third ODI:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma)

The opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma look set for team India. Dhawan’s form needs no introduction at the moment. The veteran southpaw has beautifully translated his good run in Test cricket to the limited overs. Dhawan backed up his magnificent ton in the first ODI with a quick 49 in the second ODI. He looks in sublime form at the moment.

The Indian team had a concern when it came to the other opener, Rohit Sharma. Rohit failed in the first ODI and was under the scrutiny in the second game. He had to play well since someone like Ajinkya Rahane has been warming up the bench. Rohit managed to save his place in the team with a half century to his name.

Middle-Order (Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey)

Indian skipper Virat Kohli comes in at number 3 in the batting. His move to demote himself in the batting order in the 2nd ODI backfired big time. He failed to score and the entire middle-order saw a big time slump. Kohli, in general, has been in good form. His unbeatn fifty in the first ODI anchored India to a win.

KL Rahul had a bad time batting in the middle-order for the first time in Indian colors. He, however, is likely to retain his place. Despite a failure in the previous game, KL’s good form cannot be ignored in the longer run.

Kedar Jadhav has been the dark horse for the Indian team when it comes to bowling. Virat Kohli has used the services of Kedar in the most efficient way with the ball. He has been the partnership breaker. However, it would be more appreciable if he delivers the goods with the bat as well.

The change that the Indian team could incorporate in the game would be in the middle order. Young promising batsman Manish Pandey could make it to the side at the expense of Hardik Pandya. Pandya has not had a major say in the two wins in the series thus far. Also, the fact that the middle order slump has caused a few ripples, serves the case for Pandey’s inclusion in the side.

Wicket-Keeper (MS Dhoni)

MS Dhoni will continue to don the wicket-keeping gloves for team India. Dhoni was at his prime best when he remained calm and composed in the second ODI when the chips were down for his side. His unbeaten knock, the 120th time he remained unbeaten in ODI cricket, saw him stitch an unbeaten 100 run stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the match. With the gloves, he showed his prowess when he stumped Danushka Gunathilaka despite an early fumble with his take.

Spinners (Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal)

Axar Patel has been performing well with the ball in the series. He has picked up 4 wickets thus far in the two ODIs. He will continue to retain his place in the side owing to his left arm spin bowling skills. Axar has been very economical in both the games and has leaked runs at less than 4 runs in each game. He had picked 3/34 in the first ODI.

Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal has done nothing wrong either in the two ODIs. He picked up 2/43 in the previous game and had scalped 2/60 in the first ODI. The higher economy rate could be the only reason wherein the think tank could try Kuldeep Yadav in place of Chahal. However, that seems very unlikely to happen in this game.

Pace Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the star of the show in the previous ODI. No points for guessing that he will retain his place in the side. Bhuvi bowled well up front and also contributed well enough with the bat to ensure a win for the team. Batting with Dhoni, he added 100 runs for the 8th wicket. En route the partnership, he brought up his maiden ODI fifty as well.

He will be supported by Jasprit Bumrah in the pace bowling department. Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the previous match where he returned with figures of 4/43 in his quota of 10 overs. He also bowled two maidens during his spell in the game.