IND v SL, 3rd Test Preview: India aims to wrap up the neighbors in the National capital

Despite the wonderful effort they put in the Eden Gardens Test, the Islanders got humiliated by India at Nagpur and conceded a 1-0 lead. To add insult to injury, Sri Lanka will not be having their premium spinner Rangana Herath for this all-important clash. Nothing is going right for the skipper Dinesh Chandimal as they gear up for the final Test in Delhi.

It was outright victory in the second Test for the Indians, powered by Virat Kohli’s double ton and centuries from Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rohit Sharma. Not in a single session did they put their foot off the pedal and completed a comprehensive victory, which kept their unbeaten streak in the Tests intact.

The Indian skipper is now facing the conundrum of selecting the openers. Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, and Shikhar Dhawan, all of them have been amongst the runs, which makes things all the more difficult for the management. With barely any aspect bothering the hosts, they enter the Test match as the hot favorites to rip their opponents apart.

India (Predicted XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Sri Lanka (Predicted XI): Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Lahiru Gamage, Suranga Lakmal

Focus will be on

Cheteshwar Pujara (India)

In his entire career, there was only a single phase where he struggled to keep his place in the squad. Pujara has been an outstanding servant of the Indian cricket in the last half-a-decade and the 30-year-old notched yet another hundred in the second Test. He is now ranked second in the ICC Batsmen’s rankings, only behind Steve Smith. He will be looking to close down the gap between him and the Aussie skipper with a solid show in the final Test of the series.

Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)

It really is surprising to see Dimuth Karunaratne not stepping up for the visitors. The opener has been in stellar form over the last few months and for some reasons, he is failing to replicate the same against the Indians. There’s no one doubting his ability to play long innings, but he needs to be a lot more consistent if he wishes to keep his place in the Lankan side.

Playing Combinations

India

It’s highly likely that Murali Vijay will open the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan, with KL Rahul receiving the harsh sacking. With the experience of Chetshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli at number 3 and 4, their top 4 looks all set for another gigantic score. Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, and Ravichandran Ashwin will follow next in the lineup.

Umesh Yadav has had a mediocre series thus far and he will be looking to get some wickets in the final Test. Ishant Sharma made a spectacular comeback, making the batters life difficult with his tricky lines. Ashwin was the star picking up 8 wickets in the match and Jadeja was brilliant as well.

Sri Lanka

Dimuth Karunaratne and Samarawickrama will once again open the innings despite not registering any decent scores in the series. Lahiru Thirimanne will come in at number 3 with skipper Dinesh Chandimal at 4. Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella , and Dasun Shanaka will follow up in the mddle order.

Lakshan Sandakan will be filling the huge boots of Rangana Herath, who is set to miss the final Test. Fast bowlers Lahiru Gamage and Suranga Lakmal were pretty effective in the first Test, but got thrashed to all parts in the second. Dilruwan Perera will be the fourth bowling option for the Lankan lions.

StatAttack

4 – Ravichandran Ashwin needs 4 wickets to complete 50 wickets against the Sri Lankans.

25 – Virat Kohli is 25 runs short of the 5,000 mark in Tests.