Rana, Samson, Sakaria to make debuts

July 23, 2021 14:34

India captain Shikhar Dhawan has won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.

India have 5 debutants in the squad today with Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Sakaria, K Gowtham and Rahul Chahar set to make their debuts.

India will look to sweep the series when they take on Sri Lanka in the 3rd ODI on Friday.

While Shikhar Dhawan-led India won the first game by seven wickets, Deepak Chahar pulled a heist in the second one with his match-winning unbeaten 69 as the visitors won by three wickets.

Now, it remains to be seen whether India continue with Prithvi Shaw, who got scores of 43 and 13, to partner the skipper at the top, or go in for classy Devdutt Padikkal or an equally elegant Ruturaj Gaikwad -- both superb List A players.

If Shaw gets another opportunity, he would be more than keen to get a big score, as he failed to convert his start in the first game.

With vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar making it clear that there are no fitness issues with Hardik Pandya, the flamboyant Baroda player and his brother all-rounder Krunal are expected to play.

In the two previous games, the Indian bowlers managed to contain the inexperienced Sri Lankan batting-line up and pulled things back.

While Bhuvneshwar could continue to lead the attack, it remains to be seen whether the team management opts for young Navdeep Saini or uncapped impressive left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya in place of last game's hero Deepak Chahar, who has been exceptional with his knuckle-ball.

For Sri Lanka, a win in the final game would do wonders to their confidence after nearly pulling off a win in the second game.

Opener Avishka Fernando has been among runs, but needs support from the other batsmen.

A good outing for skipper Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Dhananjaya de Silva and others would not only help the team but also themselves in the career ahead.

Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur's anger and disappointment was much visible in the last game, but he needs to bolster his players, especially his bowlers.

For Sri Lanka, the performance of leggie Wanindu Hasaranga, who picked three wickets in the last match, would also be crucial.

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