India will fancy its chances of wrapping up the five-match series when it locks horns with a beleaguered Sri Lanka in the third One-Day International here on Sunday.
The visitor has a 2-0 lead in the series and can wrap up the contest with another win here before leaving for the last-leg of the tour in Colombo.
The big question is if skipper Virat Kohli will continue with his bold approach when it comes to team strategy, if not team selection.
However, the complication in the 231-run chase in the second ODI occurred due to a shuffle in the batting order.
After a great start, Kohli sent in K.L. Rahul and Kedar Jadhav ahead at number three and four respectively. The mini-experiment failed spectacularly, mostly because they couldn’t read Akila Dananjaya’s googlies properly. Again then, it is a wonder if Kohli will experiment again. The Indian skipper might just revert to the original batting order and close out the series before ringing any changes in the last two ODIs in Colombo.
There is also the toss factor. Kohli won his fifth consecutive toss on this tour, and predictably chose to chase again.
With Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan putting on a century stand. It was the catalyst for the shuffle in batting-order, as the Indian skipper probably didn’t want a second game without action in the middle for Rahul and others.
Could this force Kohli to rethink his bat-first theory, if he manages to win the toss yet again?
As concerns changes to the playing combination, Hardik Pandya is in focus. In the lead-up to the second ODI, the all-rounder wore a light strap on his left knee, though the team management assured his full fitness. Later in the game, he pulled up with issues on the same left leg.
While it appeared to be a calf problem for him, due to which he left the field on three occasions, again the team management outlined it as a cramp issue and not a major worry.
Pandya’s availability for the third ODI then remains a question mark at best. Even if cramped yet fully fit, will he be risked given the extended limited-overs’ schedule India has until December? Kuldeep Yadav or Shardul Thakur could come into the reckoning as the fifth bowler, unluckily again for Manish Pandey as India will need someone to bowl Pandya’s 10 overs.
There are bound to be further changes for the Sri Lankan playing XI.
Upul Tharanga has been handed a two-match suspension for slow over-rate for the second time since the Champions Trophy in June, and he will sit out the next two ODIs.
It could be a blessing in disguise as the skipper was suffering from a poor run of form, and the attacking Dinesh Chandimal, included in the Lankan squad, is expected to slot into Tharanga’s number four spot.
Chamara will do the honours as he was given the responsibility of being the vice-captain in the first two matches. There will also be an additional change as Lahiru Thirimanne is expected to open with Niroshan Dickwella, after Danushka Gunathilaka injured his shoulder whilst fielding in the second ODI.
The teams (from):
India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur.
Sri Lanka: Chamara Kapugedera (Capt.), Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanna, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando and Upul Tharanga.