Sri Lanka vs India, 2nd ODI: SL elect to bat
Sri Lanka and India are clashing in the second ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The second-string Indian side leads the three-match series 1-0 after winning the series opener comprehensively. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat in what will be a do-or-die game for the Lankans. Here are further details.
India's Playing XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav. SL's Playing XI: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wicket-keeper), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, and Kasun Rajitha.
The surface at this venue offered assistance to the batsmen in the first ODI. Also, the spinners were in action throughout the match. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the conditions in the 2nd ODI are expected to be cloudy in phases. The match is being telecast live on the Sony Network. It can also be streamed on the SonyLIV app (paid subscription).
All eyes will be on Indian openers Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw, who complemented each other in the first ODI. The duo gave India a solid start, having shared a 58-run stand. Shaw scored 43 off just 24 balls with the help of 9 fours. Notably, he has the highest strike-rate in List A cricket since the start of 2017.
As per Cricbuzz, India have picked only nine wickets in the powerplay in 19 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. Their bowling average of 126 and economy rate of 5.97 is the worst among the Test-playing nations. Interestingly, India have the best scoring rate in the middle overs (SR 94.71). Meanwhile, SL's scoring rate is the second-worst in the same period of play.
