India’s ODI captain believes the team would focus on beating Sri Lanka first and foremost, rather than using this series as a trial ground for the Champions Trophy.
India has just won the T20 World Cup. There will be no ODI World Cup for another three years. But so what? says Rohit Sharma. This three-match series against Sri Lanka is still considered top-tier international cricket.
Perhaps it is easy to view it mainly as an opportunity to experiment, but India believes it is a series worth winning on its own merits. In fact, Rohit’s competitive drive is so strong that, despite having retired from T20Is and being unavailable for selection in the recent series, he still considers himself a T20I player.
“I dunno’, I feel like I have just been rested from the T20s,
like it used to happen in the past,” Rohit replied with a chuckle. “Then there will be a big tournament coming up and we have to get ready for T20 again.”
Sri Lanka’s men’s team isn’t exactly top ODI opposition at present, having placed ninth in last year’s World Cup, and consequently having failed to qualify for next year’s Champions Trophy. But India are still intent on bringing the best of themselves to the series, Rohit said.
“You get asked a lot whether
this series is a preparation for the World Cup, or is this a preparation for the Champions Trophy,” he said. “It’s not a practice ground – it’s still an international game. We will keep in our minds what we want to achieve, but this is by no means preparation or practice or anything like that. We want to come here and play good cricket and get something out of the series.
“Of course we want to try everything possible, but when you’re representing the nation the quality of
T20 cricket should remain the way it is, and how we’ve played over the last few years.
That is more important, rather than thinking about it as a preparation and saying let’s go out and chill in Colombo. We don’t think like that.
“When we play a series and when we play a game, we want to get something out of that. We might tell a bowler: ‘We want something different from you.’ We might tell a batter: ‘This is how we want you to play in the middle overs.’ We want to get something out of the series, but not at the cost of going out there and having no intent or purpose. For me, the standard of Indian cricket is more important.”
Despite their recent successes – runners-up at the ODI World Cup, and one step better in the T20 showpiece – resting on laurels is something the team will avoid as best they can, Rohit said. In modern cricket, the game moves so quickly, you can’t let the opposition steal a march.
“In terms of what we want to do – it’s not just one particular area we’re looking to improve, it’s the overall game. In sports, you can’t just sit happy doing something. You have to keep moving forward, and you have to keep moving up and challenge yourself. There’s always something new to learn when you play a series and when you play a game. Whatever we have done, it was good for that particular time, but time keeps moving forward.”
Will there be another mismatch as Sri Lanka and India turn to ODIs?
Sri Lanka has lost five fast bowlers to injuries or illness, while India will benefit from the return of Rohit, Kohli, and Kuldeep.Big picture: SL is hit by injuries and illnesses.
Sri Lanka just can’t get a break.
While still reeling from the almost comical nature of the final T20I defeat, which handed India a 3-0 series sweep – and possibly a slew of nervous breakdowns for those watching – their preparations for the ODI leg have been hampered significantly by the injury or illness-related absence of no fewer than five of their fast bowlers.
This has resulted in the call-up of uncapped Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga, who will ideally give support for the squad’s only other fit seamer, Asitha Fernando, as well as Chamika Karunaratne’s all-round game.
The only silver lining in all this is that it might,
however briefly, take their minds off the last two times these sides met in a 50-over contest, where Sri Lanka collectively scored 105 runs. In fact, across their last four ODI meetings, Sri Lanka have failed to reach triple digits on three occasions.
However, their best plan of action may be to not place too much trust in the outcomes of these next games. Their next major ODI tournament is the World Cup in 2027 – they did not qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy – so focusing on the process and laying the groundwork may be the best strategy for the time being.
In terms of recent form, Sri Lanka has won ODIs over Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe this year, while their last victory over India came in July 2021. That triumph had put an end to a five-match losing streak against India; in fact, each of Sri Lanka’s past three ODI victories over India have occurred in assistance for breaking five-game losing streaks. So, if you’re looking for a straw to hold onto, Sri Lanka’s current ODI losing streak against India is six. Something’s gotta give, right?
As far as India is concerned, this is simply the next step on a meticulously planned journey to the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have returned to the team, with the primary goal of smoothing out the kinks and settling into a good team combination. You can also image them privately yearning for a more difficult task than what they faced in the T20Is.
In the spotlight: Pathum Nissanka and Kuldeep Yadav.
It is apparent that Sri Lanka is still battling to address its long-standing middle- and lower-order issues; most of their recent success has been due to top-order contributions. Pathum Nissanka was the primary source of this information.
His 497 runs in six ODIs are easily the most by any hitter in the world this year. In addition, his strike rate of 122.41 is the greatest among those with at least 200 runs. To compete with this well-rounded Indian team, Sri Lanka will need Nissanka to be at his best.
With the action moving from Kandy to Colombo, the balance between bat and ball should also shift. The Khettarama has traditionally been one where scores of 300 or more are on the rarer side, with spin tending to play a pivotal role. Enter Kuldeep Yadav, who played an important part in India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph but sat out the T20Is against Sri Lanka. While Ravi Bishnoi and, particularly, Riyan Parag impressed in his stead, Kuldeep will be keen to make his mark on the tour.
Team news: Rohit, Kohli, Kuldeep return
Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling contingent is in disarray, but with the wicket likely to favour spin they may opt to go in with just the two frontline seamers. Provided they want an extra spin option, Dunith Wellalage might be preferred over Chamika Karunaratne.
T20 Sri Lanka (probable):
1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis, 3 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 4 Kamindu Mendis, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Janith Liyanage, 7 Dunith Wellalage/Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Mohamed Shiraz/Eshan Malinga, 11 Asitha Fernando
India’s top order picks itself, but it’s lower down where there may be some experimentation. With Hardik Pandya not part of the ODI series, one of Shivam Dube and Parag will fill in as a batting allrounder. If Parag gets the nod, India might have the luxury of playing three frontline seamers, meaning one of Khaleel Ahmed and the uncapped Harshit Rana could get a game.
India (probable):
1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant/KL Rahul (wk), 6 Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Khaleel Ahmed/Harshit Rana, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Siraj.
Pitch and conditions: Rain in the air
If the recent Lanka Premier League is any indication, the batting conditions in Colombo have improved in comparison to previous years, but there is still plenty in it for the bowlers, particularly the spinners. However, obtaining a full game on Friday may be difficult, with areas of heavy rain anticipated throughout the day.
Statistics and trivia: India’s domination.
Only Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan among Full Members had a worse win-loss record versus India over the last decade than Sri Lanka. During that period, India and Sri Lanka have played 24 ODIs, with Sri Lanka winning only three.
Kohli’s 2594 runs against Sri Lanka are the second-most by an opposition hitter in one-day internationals. Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 3113.
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