On Wednesday, August 7, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Team India (IND) and hosts Sri Lanka (SL) will square off in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series. After putting up a strong fight in the second ODI to secure a 32-run victory, the hosts lead the series 1-0.
Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka, made the right judgement at the toss and chose to bat first. Star spinner Maheesh Theekshana replaced Akila Dananjaya in the hosts’ playing XI, a noteworthy move. Since Dananjaya was playing in Theekshana’s absence due to his injury, he was not featured in any of the series’ games.
However, India also entered the battle altered from the previous match. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and wicketkeeper KL Rahul were benched. They therefore selected Rishabh Pant and Riyan Parag, two middle-order hitters.
Star batsman Virat Kohli gave Parag his first ODI cap before to the toss, giving the player, who earned his T20I debut in Zimbabwe last month, the opportunity to win his first cap. For Pant, on the other hand, this is a very important match because it’s his first ODI since November 30, 2022.
“We’re going to start at bat. It appears just like the last two ODIs. Akila Dananjaya is replaced by Theekshana. The guys are doing great, and things are going well for us. Asalanka declared during the toss that he wanted to see someone score a hundred on this pitch.
The Indian captain acknowledged that the last two games saw strong cricket from the opposition. Nonetheless, Sharma appears assured for the last match and thinks that teamwork is necessary to win.
We’ve been tested in the last two games, so there’s more to be gained. We know exactly what to do with the bat and ball We have discussed it and what our collective needs are.
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The opponent deserves credit for their skilful play and grasp of the situation. We have one more chance to make corrections. two modifications. In place of KL and Arshdeep, we got Rishabh and Riyan Parag,” Sharma declared during the toss.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando