The frequently fighting neighbors, India and Sri Lanka shall face-off once again as we move into the second leg of the Nidhahas Trophy. Although both the teams are equal in terms of the points, their mindset going into this encounter will be starkly different. 

India, despite the loss in the first match against the hosts, came back strong to defeat Bangladesh by six wickets in a clinical performance. The Indian bowling attack was relentless and kept taking regular Bangladeshi wickets. In-form Shikhar Dhawan scored his second fifty in as many matches to guide Team India home.

Sri Lankan team buoyed by the win over India in their opening match was humbled by the Bangladeshi Captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who smacked 72*(35) to guide Bangladesh across their record chase. In the post-match interview, the Sri Lankan Captain Dinesh Chandimal admitted poor execution from the Lankan bowlers.  

Also read:   Mushfiqur Rahim guides Bangladesh to Record Chase

While India will have to take a call between handing out opportunities to its bench players or sticking to its winning team from the last game, Sri Lanka has bigger worries to ponder about.

The Captain – Dinesh Chandimal has been suspended for next two T20I matches due to the slow over-rate in the last match, which will also affect Sri Lankan batting plans. The bowlers will also have to gather their confidence to confront the mighty Indian batting line-up.  

Pitch and Weather conditions:

The humidity levels have reached up to 83 percent today with the skies being mostly cloudy. There is also a possibility of a shower which can pause the contest for an hour or so. 

Team News:

India’s practice sessions were focused majorly on its benched players from the first two matches. Especially, Deepak Hooda was monitored closely by the coach Ravi Shastri, hinting at the possible inclusion in the eleven. KL Rahul – who averages 50+ in the format, the promising young fast bowler Mohammad Siraj and the left-arm all-rounder Axar Patel are all waiting in the wings. 

Also read: Jaydev Unadkat Points Out the Crucial Things in T20 Cricket

Thisara Perera shall step up to take the captaincy mantle while Dinesh Chandimal serves his two-match suspension. Perera has captained Sri Lanka in six T20Is so far and is yet to end up as a winning captain. Dhananjaya De Silva will take up Chandimal’s spot in the batting line-up.

Probable XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar/Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur/Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jaydev Unadkat.

Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera (C), Dasun Shanaka, Jeevan Mendis, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera/Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep