SRI LANKA VS. INDIA: IND’S TOUR OF SL 2021, 1st ODI | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts Sri Lanka take on India in the first ODI of the 3-match series at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday afternoon. It is part of the ICC ODI Super League.
After a disastrous tour of England where they failed to win a single game, Sri Lanka come into this home series against an Indian team minus the usual names. They have lost their last three ODI series to the West Indies (3-0), Bangladesh (2-1), and England (2-0). Sri Lanka will be captained by Dasun Shanaka as their skipper Kusal Perera has been ruled out of the tour due to a shoulder injury. The suspensions of Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Dickwella means Sri Lanka’s batting line-up looks very inexperienced heading into this series.
India have taken an alternate 20-man squad for this tour of Sri Lanka, with Shikhar Dhawan captaining the side. There are 6 uncapped players in the squad, including the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Varun Chakravarthy, who have hugely impressed in the Indian T20 League. The team is not short on star power, with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being part of it. Yuzvendra Chahal will be the prime spinner, with Rahul Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav vying for the second spot.
Despite being inexperienced on the international level, India head into this match as favorites against an unsettled and troubled host, who will look to gain confidence with some consistent performances at home. All in all, it will be an exciting start to the ODI series at the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Match Details
- Match: Sri Lanka vs. India, 1st ODI
- Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Date & Time: Jul. 18, 2021, at 3 PM IST/Local
Probable Playing XI
Sri Lanka
Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (WK), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan,
India
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav
Weather and Pitch Report
Colombo is expected to have cloudy weather with a possibility of rain interruptions during the match. The temperature will be around 28 degrees during the game.
Premadasa has generally been a good batting wicket, with a possibility of a high-scoring game on the cards. Batters are likely to dominate, despite some early help on offer for the bowlers from the surface. The pitch will slow down as the match progresses, bringing the spinners into play in the second innings. The average first-innings score at this venue in the last five ODI matches played has been 302 runs.
The team batting first has a good record at this venue, winning 4 out of the last 5 games played. So the captain winning the toss is likely to opt to bat first. A score of around 280 runs should be a competitive one here.
Top Fantasy Picks
Sri Lanka
- Dasun Shanaka has a huge responsibility as a batter and captain of this Sri Lankan team. He has played 28 ODIs, making 611 runs with the highest score of 68. He seems to be in good touch, having scored a couple of 40s in his last two ODIs.
- Wanindu Hasaranga has been one of the bright spots in the limited-overs cricket for Sri Lanka. In 24 ODIs, he has scored 518 runs, including 3 half centuries, and picked up 22 wickets. He made 100 runs and took 1 wicket in the last ODI series in England.
Dushmantha Chameera was the best bowler for Sri Lanka on the tour of England, having picked up 9 wickets in five innings. He has been in great form in his last six ODI, picking up 12 wickets with best figures of 5 for 16. Expect him to trouble the young Indian batters here.
India
- Shikhar Dhawan is one of the experienced players in this Indian team. He has been in great form in ODIs and the Indian T20 League. He scored 380 runs in eight matches in the T20 League and 169 runs in the three ODIs against England.
- Suryakumar Yadav will be making his ODI debut here after his T20I debut against England earlier in the year. He looked solid and played a number of attractive shots in the two innings he batted, scoring 89 runs in the process. Expect him to start his ODI career with a bang here.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the lead bowler for India in this series. After returning from an injury earlier in the year, he has taken 6 wickets in the ODI series against England, with best figures of 3 for 42. He was good in the T20 series too, picking up 4 wickets in five matches.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: S Samson
- Batsmen: D Shanaka, S Dhawan, P Shaw, S Yadav
- All-rounders: D de Silva, W Hasaranga, K Pandya
- Bowlers: B Kumar, Y Chahal, D Chameera
- Captain: S Dhawan/B Kumar
- Vice Captain: D Shanaka/W Hasaranga
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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