Sri Lanka just cannot seem to catch a break. As the underdogs in the current series, they have struggled to withstand the pressure posed by the reigning T20 World Cup champions. A resounding 3-0 series sweep has significantly hampered Sri Lanka’s preparations for the ODI Leg. Compounding their difficulties, India secured a somewhat ironic victory over Sri Lanka, with Surya Kumar Yadav and Rinku Singh—typically known for their batting prowess—taking on the bowling duties during the death overs and each capturing two wickets.
Recent reports indicate that no fewer than five of Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers have sustained injuries and will be unavailable for the ODI leg of the tour. In response, Sri Lanka Cricket has called up two uncapped players, Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga, with the hope that they, alongside Asitha Fernando and all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne, will effectively lead the bowling attack against one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the world. This situation underscores Sri Lanka’s recent challenges, as evidenced by the mere 105 runs scored from the bat in their last two encounters with this opposition in this format.
The next course of action for this Sri Lankan Team would be not to focus too much on the results of this Tour but to focus on the process and look to put in place the right foundations for the time being for their next major tournament, the 2027 ODI World Cup. (Not having qualified for the 2025 Champions Trophy).
As far as the reigning T20 World Cup Champions go, India has at its service the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and many others who make a comeback to the squad after their last ODI outing in the ODI World Cup in 2023 under new Head Coach Gautam Gambhir. India looks to explore new combinations and partnerships that hopefully guarantee them success at this tour as well as the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.
Facts and Figures:
- Last 5 ODI Matches:
- Sri Lanka: LWLWW (Most recent match first)
- India: WLWLW
- Most Wins: India (99 wins in 168 ODIs)
- Highest Total: 414/7 in 50 overs in 2009.
- Lowest Total: 50 all out in 15.2 overs in Asia Cup in 2023.
- Most Centuries: 10 Centuries by Virat Kohli (India)
- Most 50’s: 19 Half-Centuries by MS Dhoni (India)
- Most Sixes: 50 sixes by Rohit Sharma (India)
- Highest Score: 264 from 173 balls by Rohit Sharma (India)
- Most Wickets: 74 wickets by Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
- Most Wickets In a Series: 15 wickets in 5 ODIs by Jasprit Bumrah during the India Tour of Sri Lanka in 2017.
- Virat Kohli has scored 4 Centuries in 5 innings played at Colombo.