Following the conclusion of the three-match T20I series, India will be crossing swords with Sri Lanka in a three-match One Day series. The first One Day International is scheduled to be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.
The series is of utmost importance for both teams as the ODI World Cup will be held later in 2023. Being the hosts, India has already qualified for the tournament. The Men in Blue will be looking forward to redeeming themselves in the series after they failed to make an impact in their last ODI series against Bangladesh losing the series 2-1.
The hosts will have a lot of changes from the T20I side with skipper Rohit Sharma making a comeback to the team after recovering from an injury. Jasprit Bumrah has also been included in the team after four months since he was ruled out in October due to an injury.
Mohammed Shami is another player to return to the Indian side following a shoulder injury. Players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Mohammed Siraj were not included in the shortest format. However, they are expected to be drafted straight back into the playing XI in the ODIs.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan will be notable omissions from the side. Pant has been ruled out due to his multiple injuries while the team management has dropped Dhawan.
Coming to Sri Lanka, they will be playing under the leadership of in-form Dasun Shanaka while Kusal Mendis has been appointed as the vice-captain for the One Day Internationals. The visitors will take a lot of confidence from their good performance in the T20I series as they won hearts for putting up a good fight against India despite losing 2-1 in the end.
Their last ODI series came against Bangladesh in November last year with the tour ending in a draw as the two teams won a game each while one match was washed out. Sri Lanka is likely to play almost the same team in the ODIs. Dunith Wellalage can make it to the playing XI instead of seamer Dilshan Madushanka as the expected lone change
What has happened so far?
The T20I series between India and Sri Lanka was a massive hit as the two teams fought tooth and nail to take the trophy home. The first game saw a thrilling encounter as India scored a win by just two runs. Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, and Ishan Kishan were decent with the bat as they added 41, 37, and 31 runs respectively to the scoreboard.
Following the score, Sri Lanka ended up with 160 runs despite a whirlwind knock of 45 runs by skipper Dasun Shanaka. Shivam Mavi had a dream debut for India as he picked up four wickets.
The second match saw Sri Lanka making a comeback. The visitors were absolutely lethal with the bat. The opening batter Kusal Mendis and skipper Shanaka joined hands to take the team to 206 runs in 20 overs. India fought well with Axar Patel scoring 65 runs. However, they fell short of 16 runs.
The series decider in Rajot was a one-sided affair as India gave Sri Lanka no chance to lead the game. Surayakumar Yadav hammered his first century of 2023 to propel India to a mammoth score of 228 runs. In the second innings, the bowlers continued the momentum. Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers with a three-wicket haul as India won by 91 runs.
