Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s heroics helped India seal the series as they won the second ODI on Tuesday. It was a hard-fought win as the players proved their mettle in giving their team a come-from-behind win. Now with the series sealed, Team India is looking for a clean sweep in the third and final ODI which is set to be played on Friday in Colombo. The match could well have been the decider had Chahar and Bhuvi failed to do what they did. 

Sri Lanka vs India 2021, 3rd ODI Preview

 India

India was a part of a tough game against Sri Lanka in the second ODI. They were made to work hard for the win and in the process, unearthed some new gems. Deepak Chahar rose to the occasion with India’s backs to the wall in the chase. Walking into bat at number eight he scored a career-best 69 not out to help India win the game and the series. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he added an unbeaten 84-run stand to take India over the line. 

Despite the performance with the bat, there are old problems for India that remain intact. India’s failure to pick wickets inside the first 10 overs and their bowlers going for runs in the back 10 are the two most prominent problems. It was Yuzvendra Chahal who picked wickets in the middle overs to limit the Lankans from scoring over 300. This is something that the team management and the players would like to address in the final ODI. 

Another issue that is hurting the team is Manish Pandey‘s lack of form. He has been playing international cricket for seven years now but has played 28 ODIs only. In the two opportunities, he got in the first two games, he did not make the most of them. He was unlucky to be run out in the second ODI. Pandey would hope to get some runs if he gets to play in the final game on Friday. 

Sri Lanka 

The Lankan team also paid the price for not cashing in the good starts in the first two games. Avishka Fernando got starts and threw his wicket away in the first two games. Lack of partnerships and proper game understanding has hurt the side in the first two games. Their bowlers brought the side back into the game in the second ODI but Deepak Chahar’s masterclass denied them from levelling the series. They would ideally like to end with a win in the final ODI.

Their batsmen yet again need to come up with the goods and need to give their bowlers a total to defend. The Lankan bowlers, on the other hand, would love a repeat of what they did in the second game, hoping to end the game on the right side.

Head To Head: India vs Sri Lanka

Of the 167 ODI matches played between these two nations, 93 have been won by India and Sri Lanka has managed to win only 56 games. Out of the 78 ODI series played in total, 32 have been won by India and Sri Lanka has managed to win only 16. Out of the remaining, three have been drawn.

Pitch & Weather Conditions

The weather conditions for the third and final ODI are expected to be pleasant. There have been predictions of rain in the first two games. However, the rain gods have shown mercy till this point. The players will hope that the rain stays away for the final game as well. The pitch as was in the last game will be batting friendly with spinners having a role to play in the game more than the pacers.

Squads

India

Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya

Sri Lanka

Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Dhananjaya De Silva (Vice Captain), Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dhananjaya, Shiran Fernando,Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrema, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana

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