Sri Lanka Opts to Bat First Against India in Series Decider
Colombo, January 15th – Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the third and final ODI against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium. The hosts currently lead the series 1-0 and a victory today would secure their first bilateral ODI series win against India since 1997.
Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka had no hesitation in opting to bat first, a strategy that has worked well for his team over the course of the series. The home side made one change, with Maheesh Theekshana coming in to replace Akila Dhananjaya.
India, on the other hand, made two changes to their lineup. Riyan Parag, who impressed during the T20I series, made his ODI debut, replacing Arshdeep Singh. This allowed the visitors to field an extra spinner while also strengthening their batting. The other change saw Rishabh Pant return to the ODI side for the first time since his car accident late last year, taking the gloves from KL Rahul.
“With the pitch expected to favor spin as the game progresses, both teams have loaded up their squads with slow bowlers.”
Sri Lanka will field five spinners, including Janith Liyanage, who bowls seam-up, while India have opted for two seamers and four spinners.
Both teams have struggled to convert starts into big scores in this series, and Asalanka has expressed his desire to see a centurion on the dry surface at the R. Premadasa Stadium. The weather is expected to be largely clear, with a possibility of rain later in the afternoon.
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