IND vs SL ODI Series 2023: India's predicted XI against Sri Lanka for 3rd ODI

Rohit Sharma-led team India play Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI match of the series at the Greenfield International Stadium in Kerala on January 15. The Men in Blue have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series and will look for a complete series sweep in the last match of the tour. 

Speaking about the Lankan Lions, Dasun Shanaka and team will play for pride and look to put up a tough fight in Kerala before heading back home. While the tour has been rather forgetful for the Asia Cup 2022 winners, ending on a high note would lift their spirits.

Adding to this, the two heavyweights will also keep in mind the 2023 ODI World Cup that is on the horizon. Experimenting with the squads may be a real possibility but with the Men in Blue, the team may head into the fixture unchanged as they have played decent cricket and may want to see better performances from few players in the XI.

India's Predicted playing XI for the third ODI against Sri Lanka:

Openers – Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c)

The management has backed Shubman Gill to take the field despite knowing the fact Ishan Kishan played a dominating 210-run knock against Bangladesh recently. The right-hander earned that faith with 728 runs in last 14 ODI outings, which includes five half-centuries and a century. Though, he only managed to get 21 runs in the previous ODI in Kolkata, the batter will look to play a vital knock in the forthcoming match.

Skipper Rohit Sharma played his first match this year in Guwahati and led the side by example as scored 83 off 67 and gave India a perfect start. However, he could onyl manage 17 runs in the second ODI. He is known to give his side a terrific head start in matches and will look to do just that when the two sides face-off in Kerala. 

Middle Order - Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK)

Concluding 2022 with a century and starting off 2023 on a similar note, Virat Kohli has been in sensational form for the Men in Blue lately. Replicating a performance such as the one in the first ODI will be something on his mind as the former skipper also has the potential to win matches single-handedly. 

Being the leading run getter of the side in ODIs in 2022, Shreyas Iyer has featured in both ODIs but has failed to convert his starts. In both ODIs, he got 28 runs each before getting dismissed. He will need to shift gears if he wants to cement his spot in the playing XI going forward.

KL Rahul scored the slowest half-century for India in the previous contest (64* off 103) but it was the need of the hour for the side in their chase. The batter understands the dynamics of the game well but will need to play fearless cricket and register scores which can give his side an edge in the contest. 

All-rounders - Hardik Pandya (vc), Axar Patel

The two all-rounders have been crucial for the side, be it with the bat or with the ball. In addition to this, the duo can change the complexion of the game with their ability to save vital runs as fielders. Both star all-rounders will aim to put up another fine performance in the final 50-over contest.

Axar and Hardik returned bowling figures of 1/16 and 0/26 at an economy of 3.20 and 5.20 respectively in the previous game. Though consistency has been missing in their game with the bat, they will look to improve this aspect in the upcoming clash.

Bowlers - Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Kuldeep Yadav

The pace trio of Shami, Siraj and Umran has proven to be lethal for the side thus far and have made life difficult for the rival batters. Umran’s raw pace coupled with Shami’s experience and the terrific lines and lengths maintained by Siraj has worked wonders in the matches. However, at times the bowling unit has lacked consistency and leaked runs. This is one facet which the trio will look to improve. Speaking about Kuldeep Yadav, the spinner scalped three wickets in the previous contest, coneding runs at at a rate of 5.10. He would aim to build on that performance and cement his spot in the side.

Predicted playing XI of India - Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik