India v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI: Prediction Zone

Virat Kohli

India v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium , Uppal, Hyderabad, November 9, 2014 (series status – India lead 2-0)

Uppal hits and flops

Yuvraj Singh is the leading run-scorer at the venue, having scored 233 runs in 3 matches at an average of 77.66.

Gautam Gambhir hasn’t exactly enjoyed playing here. The 33-year-old has only managed 47 runs in 4 matches.

Blast from the past

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium hosted its first international match in 2005 – a one-day fixture between India and South Africa. No surprises that – in its short history – it doesn’t have much to boast about, except that it was host to Sachin Tendulkar’s 175 against Australia in a losing cause in 2009.

The world witnessed a vintage Tendulkar – an innings widely regarded as one of the master’s finest ever, but, then, you know they are almost always coupled with heartbreaks. With only 19 needed off 17 following his dismissal and 3 wickets in hand, the home team fell short off the 351-run target by 4 runs.

Watch the classic here

How do teams stack up?

India

With every match, Axar seems to be moving closer to a World Cup 2015 playing XI slot. While it is difficult to see him go ahead in MS Dhoni’s pecking order, couple of failures from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the marquee event would force the inclusion of this Gujarat spinner.

Saha at 7 would be a misfit and makes this team a 10-man unit plus a wicket-keeper.

Lady luck could go against Dhawan in the 3rd ODI; he has been extremely lucky so far, especially against Lahiru Gamage’s stock ball – the one that goes away from left-handers.

Ajinkya Rahane got away with trying loose shots in the first, but perished cheaply in the second. It is difficult to explain why the 26-year-old goes in pursuit of them when he can score off proper cricketing shots. The team think-tank needs to clear his role: a 90-ball 75 is what they should expect, and you can play risk-free cricket to achieve it.

Ishant shouldn’t be judged on the basis of how he bowls at the death. His job should be to hit the deck, bowl the off-stump and just outside line and get wickets, which he has always done well in ODIs since his comeback to the team after the 2011 World Cup. His reputation, though, has been tarnished by his death bowling exploits.

Kohli the captain has been a treat to watch. Flexible with the batting order, aggressive by approach – India’s future is in safe hands.

Sri Lanka

Sangakkara scored a half-century after six games, thereby putting to rest, at least temporarily, the theory that he could be losing his form at the wrong time for his side after being at the peak of his powers in the last 4 seasons.

Five of Jayawardene’s eight 40+ scores in ODIs in 2014 have come in last 9 matches. Had only one 50 in his first 9 matches of the year, and his performances in 2012 and 2013 were below-par, too, averaging only 32 in 50-odd games with just one century to his name.

Priyanjan, averaging only 25 in the 20 ODIs he has played, not only has failed to perform so far but has also troubled the team combination by often getting promoted ahead of the likes of Perera and Mathews. The type of player he is, the right-hander either needs to be played in top 4 or be kept out for team’s sake.

Sachithra Senanayake’s suspension seems to have hit the team really hard, with them struggling to find replacements. Ajanta Mendis, despite finding a place in the ICC ODI team of the year, has been decoded by a number of world-class players, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in non-supportive conditions in the World Cup.

Three-point mantra for Sri Lanka to turn it around

Don’t mess with batting order: Angelo Mathews at 5, Thisara Perera at 6; keep Priyanjan and Seekuge Prasanna away

Throw Suraj Randiv out, Bring in Nuwan Kulasekara – Make it a three-man pace attack

Don’t make life easy for the openers by giving the new ball to Mathews.

Watch out for – Wriddhiman Saha coming in at No. 3. Kohli has tried a couple of different players at the one down spot already, with both paying rich dividends. In case of an early wicket, Saha could very well be promoted this time around.

Key factor

With plenty of runs expected to be on offer, the side that best capitalises on the new ball is the one mostly like to come out on top.

Prediction meter: India 65 – 35 Sri Lanka

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