Jasprit Bumrah was impressive with the ball as seamer returned with figures of 3/32. (Source: Reuters)
India beat Sri Lanka by 168 runs to take 4-0 lead in the five-match series on Thursday. After posting a mammoth 375/5, the visitors bundled out the hosts for 207 to register the big win. This for Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat (margin of runs) at home in the fifty-over format. Virat Kohli (131), Rohit Sharma (104), Manish Pandey (50*) and MS Dhoni (49*) contributed with the bat for India while Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah returned with two wickets each. It was a good debut for Shardul Thakur as the seamer was impressive with the new ball and bowled in the 140s. For Sri Lanka, it was another forgettable outing with both bat and ball. Only Angelo Mathews stood out as the all-rounder returned with two wickets before contributing 70 with the bat. The focus now shifts to the final ODI which will be played on Sunday.
Toss: India won the toss and opted to bat first. India make three changes as Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Manish Pandey come in for Yuzvendra Chahal, Kedar Jadhav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Series focus: With series in the pocket, India would look to test their bench while Sri Lanka would love to get some wins under their belt and restore pride after losing both Test and ODI series
Playing XI:
Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella(w), Dilshan Munaweera, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Milinda Siriwardana, Wanidu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Malinda Pushpakumara, Vishwa Fernando, Lasith Malinga(c).
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur