The much-awaited clash between two inexperienced sides with new faces trying to make it big at the international stage will finally get underway on Sunday 18th July.
This is India’s weaker side with their captain and vice-captain in England, but this side should not be taken lightly either. The level of competition that IPL brings to the current generation of Indian cricket is massive, making it slightly easier for them to perform under pressure than previous generations of Indian cricketers. The Shikhar Dhawan-led “second string” Indian side will look to impress the selectors with the t20 world cup around the corner. This young and enthusiastic side led by stalwarts Shikhar Dhawan and coach Rahul Dravid will look to make this a memorable series. This is an opportunity for the next generation of Indian cricket to step up and seal their place in the side.
On the other hand, the 9th placed Srilankan side will be led by Dasun Shanaka. He and his team will have the opportunity to rise against the odds at home. Srilanka is coming into this series with three consecutive ODI series losses. The odds are heavily stacked against them but facing this weakened Indian attack might just be the confidence they require to step up and rekindle their age-old dominance in world cricket.
The R. Premadasa Stadium is a batting-friendly surface and is expected to assist the batsmen once again at this venue. Pacers may get some help towards the latter half of the match while spinners may come in handy in the middle overs. The average first innings score on this wicket is 305. This will be a high-scoring encounter as both sides have explosive batsmen. The side chasing has a win percentage of only 20%, so winning the toss and batting first will be the ideal strategy.
Catch all the live action from 3 pm IST on the Sony Sports network.
