Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Time: 3:00PM IST
Average score at venue: 293
Win percentage while batting first: 57.14%
Pitch Conditions:
- The pitch at the Khettarama Stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital has remained conducive for batting, with spinners increasingly getting more assistance over the last two matches.
- While both the teams have produced some of their best cricket as far as batting is concerned, a total around 300 is due and both Sri Lanka and India can achieve that.
- Despite their lack of impact in the first two ODIs, fast bowlers continue to have a greater wicket-share percentage at this venue with 60% of the wickets compared to spin bowlers’ 40%.
Weather prediction:
There are thunderstorms expected on Friday in Colombo with humidity levels close to 90%, whereas the temperature will linger around 28 to 26°C for the majority of the contest, which will be the last of the ODI series.
Head-to-head performance:
Matches played: 161
India won: 93
Sri Lanka won: 56
Tied: 1
No result: 11
AT R PREMADASA STADIUM, COLOMBO:
Matches played: 35
India won: 17
Sri Lanka won: 15
No result: 3
Top 3 players from India: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav
Top 3 players from Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Charith Asalanka
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each)
Top 5 players from India: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal
Top 5 players from Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Charith Asalanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva.
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
Batsmen and spinners carry all importance in this ongoing three-match series which has already been decided in the favour of India. Needless to say, the visiting team has batted better than the home team and thus enjoy a 2-0 unassailable lead going into the third match, while being expected to make some sort of changes in their playing XI now that their ultimate goal of winning the series has been achieved. The pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium is increasingly getting more favourable to spin bowlers while being true to the batsmen with its even bounce and the ball coming nicely on the bat.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
In the first match India flexed their batting muscle whereas in the second they exhibited the quality and depth that they have in their ranks for any form of cricket at present. Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar along with legspinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been the key performers of the tour for India. On the other hand, Sri Lanka should not be too disappointed with the outcome of the first two matches wherein they have fought well and showed a lot of character both with the ball and the bat. Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka and Chamika Karunaratne have been some of their standout players, as Sri Lanka’s hopes of recording a consolation win on Friday rides on them. However, be it on-paper or via their performances on the field, it is the Indian cricketers who are ahead of Sri Lankans at present and should have more players in any fantasy cricket XI.
MORE INFORMATION:
Players’ form: This Rahul Dravid-coached Indian cricket team would certainly be pleased with its performances so far in the first two matches, having brandished essential qualities of a successful cricket house such as depth, courage, determination and fearlessness in the way they have played. On the other hand, Sri Lanka would certainly be disheartened with the way they lost the second ODI, having made considerable advances towards recording only their second win in 2021 from 10 matches. While Sri Lanka will be expected to pick themselves up and dust off to come back hard once again at Khettarama, the Indians are presented with an apt opportunity to try out their untested and uncapped talent in Chetan Sakariya, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad as they look to fortify and strengthen their bench strength.
Changes in squad (if any): YES
LIKELY XIs:
INDIA (IND): Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk)/ Sanju Samson (wk), Manish Pandey/Devdutt Padikkal, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Chetan Sakariya, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav.
SRI LANKA (SL): Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Dushmantha Chameera, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha.
FANTASY XI:
Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar.
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Clinical India eye Sri Lanka whitewash
India’s current coach for the tour of Sri Lanka, Rahul Dravid is known for providing chances to all members of a touring party — something that he has done over the many years with India and U-19 teams that he has taken charge of. But before the start of the tour of Sri Lanka, Dravid had declared that no compromises would be made in India’s bid to clinch a series victory in Sri Lanka, implying that the team would go ahead with its best possible playing XI.
That said, with the series already in their kitty and Sri Lanka going through a worst phase in their ODI cricket having recorded only one victory in the last 10 ODI matches in 2021, the opportunity has presented itself for India to try out uncapped players such as Rituraj Gaikwad, Chetan Sakariya and even Devdutt Padikkal who have been brought to Sri Lanka in the touring party.
India has so far played impeccable cricket without showing any discomfort as they have clinched the ODI series in style. After their batting firepower propelled them to a seven-wicket thrashing of Sri Lanka in the first ODI, it was the brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar who produced spectacular respective maiden half-centuries to rewrite the script and hand India a narrow but a famous three-wicket victory in the second ODI.
This Indian cricket team has been on a roll for quite some time as far as bilateral ODI cricket is concerned in the island nation. India have not lost a series to Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka since 1997, India have also recorded the most victories for any team in ODI cricket against a single opponent — 93 — and India have also beaten Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka for 10 consecutive ODIs. Additionally, India have recorded a mind-boggling 12 consecutive successful ODI chases, which puts them as red-hot favourites for the final ODI to be played on Friday.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka still have a lot to look forward to as they aspire to beat this strong Indian outfit, which is not the first choice team. Sri Lanka have been served well so far by the likes of Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka as well as Chamika Karunaratne who all have been brilliant in their own capacity.
But such is the nature of the game — once a team gets on the losing spree, it becomes incredibly difficult to hold the fort and bounce back — something that Sri Lanka did come to the brink of breaking in the second ODI, having dismissed the India’s batting heavyweights in Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya for mediocre scores.
Sri Lanka are certainly low on confidence and have undeniably lost the habit of winning, which is something that only they will have to find a solution to, with the current set of players while the other big names in Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka spend crucial time away from the team for various non-cricket reasons.
