🏏India tour of Sri Lanka: 1st ODI at Colombo (RPS) on 02/08/2024 @ 2:30 PM IST🏏
Will it be another mismatch as Sri Lanka and India switch to ODIs?
Sri Lanka have lost five fast bowlers to injuries or illness, while India will be boosted by the return of Rohit, Kohli and Kuldeep. SL hit by injuries and illness
Sri Lanka just can't catch a break. While still reeling from the almost comical nature of the defeat in the final T20I, one which handed India a 3-0 series sweep - and possibly a multitude of nervous breakdowns to those watching, their preparations for the ODI leg have been hampered significantly by the injury or illness-related absence of no less than five of their fast bowlers.
This has meant that the uncapped Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga have been called up to hopefully - keeping all fingers and toes crossed here - provide support for the only other fit seamer in the squad in Asitha Fernando, and the all-round stylings of Chamika Karunaratne.
The one silver lining in all this is that it might, however briefly, take their minds off the last two times these sides met in a 50-over contest, where Sri Lanka collectively scored 105 runs. In fact, across their last four ODI meetings, Sri Lanka have failed to reach triple digits on three occasions.
That said, their best course of action might be to not put too much stock in the results of these upcoming games. Their next major ODI tournament is the World Cup in 2027 - they did not make it to the 2025 Champions Trophy - so focusing on the process and looking to put in place the right foundations may be the right play for the time being.
In terms of recent form, Sri Lanka have had success in ODIs this year against Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, but their last ODI win against India was back in July 2021. That result had brought an end to a five-match losing streak against India - in fact, each of Sri Lanka's last three ODI victories against India have come in service of disrupting five-game losing streaks. So if you are looking for a straw to clutch onto, Sri Lanka's current losing streak to India in ODIs stands at six. Something's surely gotta give, right?
As far as India go, this is just the next step in a pristinely mapped-out path to the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in the fold, with the team's primary focus on ironing out kinks and settling into a nice team combination. You also imagine they will be quietly hoping for a sterner challenge than what was on offer in the T20Is.
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