SL vs IND 2nd ODI Preview: Can Sri Lanka Bounce Back Against India After Losing Series Opener

The so-called second-string Indian team had dominated the first One Day International against the host, Sri Lanka yesterday at R Premadasa stadium in Colombo. India won the first encounter by seven wickets and now the Men in Blue are ready to clinch the ODI series in the second encounter.

The hosts, Sri Lanka started had a decent start with the bat and they had some fighting cameos in the end which propelled them to a decent score in the first innings of the first ODI Match. But the bowlers suffered a brutal assault from the young and dynamic opener Prithvi Shaw and the pocket dynamite Ishan Kishan. Now the second one-day international is a must-win game for the Lankan Tigers which will help them to stay alive in the series and also possible escape from another ODI whitewash.

Sri Lanka-SL

Sri Lanka had encountered many batting failures in the past. Their batsmen are talented but none of them are using it for themselves and for the country. Yesterday the openers had put up a good show with the bat. The openers Avishka Fernando and Minod Bhanuska added 49 runs for the opening wicket. But none of them couldn’t even reach the half-century mark in their innings and that set a trend for them in the innings. It was a smart move to win the toss and bat first in the first outing. But the batsmen did apply themselves as they would have liked to.

Almost all the Sri Lankan batsmen got starts in the first ODI match. But none of them converted them into a good score and another problem for the home team is that they have not been successful against the Indian spinners. India had picked three spinners for the first match. Krunal, Chahal and Kuldeep. But none of the Lankan bowlers were able to get better of those three in the whole match. They had a rare plan to block the spinners, instead of smashing them and that is why Sri Lanka scored an average 1^st innings score at Colombo.   

Avishka Fernando, the opener played well against the new bowlers of India. But he needs to play proper cricketing shots against the spinner. Avishka was out to Yuvendra Chahal due to poor shot selection. Now in the must-win game for Sri Lanka, Avishka needs to find his midas touch again for his team. He can be the player tp watch out for in the second ODI match.

Then the middle order and the lower order batsmen of the Lankan team need to capitalize on the decent start provided by the openers. Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Dhananjaya de Silva, Hasaranga, Chameera, Skipper Shanka and Karunaratne need to bat out for full fifty overs. Despite no batter reached the half-century mark, Sri Lanka scored 260 runs. Even if one batsman bats till the 40^th over mark then the Lankans might score more than 300 runs in the next two ODI games and that will also put pressure on the Indian batsmen when they chase the score under lights.

Sri Lanka also has a worry in the bowling department. The pacers and spinners were taken for the cleaners in the first match of the series, which can be the case if they do not bowl with proper plans. The bowlers also need the support of their fielders. The home team fielders also dripped Ishan Kishan and he went on to score a fabulous fifty on his debut game. Lakshan Sandakan was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka. But the others need to set up.

India – IND

India didn’t face many problems with bat and ball in the first match game of this three-match ODI series. But one concern that could have hurt India is the bowling performances of the new ball bowlers.  Bhuvi leaked runs at the start and in the end. His comeback against England at home was an ideal one. But yesterday, the vice-captain of the Indian team didn’t look at his best. This is a great opportunity for Bhuveshwar Kumar to step up and perform better than yesterday so that he could be in the World T20 squad of the Indian team in the UAE later this year.

 Deepak Chachar is another one who could give an improved performance in the second One Day International match. Deepak took two wickets in the match. But he was a bit expensive.  Hardik Pandya bowled five overs and he also picked up a wicket, which is a good sign for the Indian Team and Mumbai Indians ahead of the second half of the IPL 2021 season. But the spin twins did the bulk of the damage in yesterday’s game. Kuldeep and Chahal were finally amongst wickets and Krunal Pandya too did a decent job. But still, India can add one more pace bowler, which looked like a weak link in the first match.  India can go with Navdeep Saini instead of Krunal Pandya.

SL vs IND Stats –

Head to Head India vs Sri Lanka (Total Face-Off- 160)

India has a great record against Sri Lanka in overall ODIs. The men in blue have won 92 fifty-over games while the hosts Sri Lanka have managed to get past India just 56 times so far.

India In Sri Lanka –

India also has a good record in Sri Lanka in ODI Cricket. India has won 29 games in the fifty-over format and Sri Lanka has won 27 matches so far.

India Vs Sri Lanka in R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo –

India and Sri Lanka have played 34 matches in R Premadasa Stadium Colombo and the visitors have won 16 and the hosts have had 15 matches till now.

The average score in R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is 262 since 2010 January and the chasing team has most of the 18 matches which is the most while there are 16 losses to those who have failed to do it.

India’s Playing XI – Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manish Pandey, Hardik Panya, Bhvneshwar Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chachar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sri Lanka’s Playing XI – Avishka Fernando, Mind Bhanuka,  Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Ramesh Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananajaya de Sliva, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Lakshan Sandakan.

SL vs IND Toss Timings

The Toss of the second ODI between India and Sri Lanka will take place at 2.30 PM IST.

SL vs IND Match Timings

The 2^nd One Day International match between India and Sri Lanka will start at 3 PM IST/9 AM GMT and 3 PM Local.

IND vs SL 2nd ODI Match Venue

The second one-day international match between India and Sri Lanka will be played at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.

SL vs IND Live Streaming Details

Cricket lovers and fans can watch the second One Day International match between India and Sri Lanka through the live streaming medium on Sony Liv, Disney Hotstar, JIO TV, Live Cricket TV, and Live Ten Sports Mobile applications. These mobile applications can be downloaded from the play store on mobile phones.

SL vs IND Broadcast Channels

The second ODI and the rest of the matches between India and Sri Lanka will be brought Live on the Sony Six channel and Networks. The Channels which will Broadcast the 2^nd ODI match between India and Sri Lanka worldwide –