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Sri Lanka will face India in the second ODI of the Unacademy ODI series on Tuesday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
India took a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series after making a statement win in the first ODI on Sunday, successfully chasing down a target of 263 runs with almost 13 overs to spare.
Shikhar Dhawan was India's highest run-scorer in the match, remaining unbeaten on a 95-ball 86. He kept the innings together as the other Indian batters came in and played with positive intent. Prithvi Shaw put on a brilliant batting show early on, blazing his way to a 24-ball 43 that set the course for India's chase.
Debutant Ishan Kishan carried the mantle from Shaw and attacked the Sri Lankan spinners to compile a well-deserved half-century on ODI debut, despite getting lucky with a dropped catch. Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav chipped in at nos 4 and 5 as India comfortably eased home in the 37th over.
Earlier, Sri Lanka put up 262-9 in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to a late surge in the death overs propelling them to a decent total. However, until Chamika Karunaratne strode out to bat at No .8, the Sri Lankan innings failed to take off.
Interestingly enough, all their top six batters registered double-digit scores, but none of them scored a fifty. That was precisely the problem for Sri Lanka, as their batters squandered promising starts, which put pressure on the ones who followed.
Credit has to be given to Shikhar Dhawan on his India captaincy debut, as he handled his bowlers well for the most part. The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya was effective on the day.
While Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya leaked some runs at the death, that shouldn't take away from what was an assured outing for Shikhar Dhawan as a captain of a young Indian team.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, need to figure out a way to counter India's aggressive approach with the bat. They don't appear to have similar firepower in their batting order. Unless they can figure out how to keep the likes of Shaw and Ishan Kishan in check, a repeat of the first ODI is quite likely.
Despite the one-sided result, the first ODI was great to watch, with some belligerent cricketing action on display. A more closely contested encounter could be on the cards on Tuesday.
Match Details
Date: July 20, 2021 (Tuesday).
Time: 03:00 PM (Local), 3:00 PM (IST) and 09:30 AM (GMT).
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Weather Report
Tuesday should be a good day for cricket in Colombo, with warm and cloudy weather on the cards. The average temperature should be around 29 degrees Celsius, with minimal chance of rain interruptions forecast.
Pitch Report
The wicket at the R Premadasa Stadium should be batting-friendly for the second ODI, with some turn on offer for the spinners. Thus a high-scoring contest could ensue. However, with all six matches in this tour to be played at the same venue, the pitches could get slower as the series progresses.
Predicted XIs
Sri Lanka
Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka are unlikely to make too many changes to their lineup. They could opt to include an extra spinner in place of Isuru Udana, with Akila Dananjaya and Praveen Jayawickrama being the viable options. Considering that their batters did get off to decent starts, Sri Lanka will look to back the same team for this game and apply themselves better out in the middle.
Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (WK), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama/Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan.
India
India are also unlikely to make any change to their winning combination. If they win this match, there could be see some new faces in the third ODI.
India: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav.
Match Prediction
While a Sri Lankan team on home soil is capable of inflicting defeat on India, the manner of the hosts' defeat suggests that the gap between the two teams is too much to bridge over in one game. Expect India to take a 2-0 lead in the series, albeit in a tighter contest.
Prediction: India to win.
TV and live streaming details
TV: Sony Six
Live Streaming: SonyLiv.
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