Ahead of the 4th ODI match against Sri Lanka, in Colombo, all eyes are on MS Dhoni who is all set to feature in his 300th ODI. (Source: PTI)
The fourth India between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Thursday. With the series in the bag, the men in blue will surely be looking to experiment with the squad that they are touring with and give those warming benches a chance in the middle. However, all eyes will also be on MS Dhoni who is all set to feature in his 300th ODI. Another milestone that beckons Dhoni is achieving 100 stumpings in ODI cricket (currently he is at 99). If he does manage to scale the summit then MS Dhoni will become the first wicketkeeper in ODI history to reach the three-figure mark.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has had a series to forget as their poor run of form continues. Adding to their woes is the loss of stand-in captain Chamara Kapugedera, who was ruled out with a back injury. Kapugedera, who was brought in as captain in place of Upul Tharanga (who was suspended for two games), hurt his back during the third ODI. As a result, Lasith Malinga will lead Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI against India. After hurting his shoulder in the third ODI, opener Danushka Gunathilaka is also set to go through a fitness Test to determine his participation. Not only on the field but off the field Sri Lanka has several issues to deal with. Among them is the selection committee headed by Sanath Jayasuriya which has also just resigned.
For India, skipper Virat Kohli will surely look to test his bench strength. This effectively means that the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur might get a look in. Kohli himself hasn’t had a good outing with the bat so far. Hence, he too will be looking at spending some time in the middle and hopefully get a big score. With the form that India is in they certainly look like the favourites to win the match and extend their unbeaten streak.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella(w), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Milinda Siriwardana, Akila Dananjaya, Thisara Perera, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Malinga(c), Vishwa Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Malinda Pushpakumara, Lakshan Sandakan, Wanidu Hasaranga, Dilshan Munaweera, Dhananjaya de Silva.
