India v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI- Sri Lanka Predicted XI

Sri Lanka were taken for a ride in Mohali by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma but the visiting side’s skipper Thisara Perera is confident of a good show in the finals. After clinching the first ODI in an emphatic fashion in Dharmshala, the Lankans bowed down to Rohit’s 208* in the next game. But they have one more shot at the coveted trophy and the boys will be eager to give their best.

Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews scored a hundred in the last game as the visitors were chasing a daunting 393 to seal the series. Skipper Perera scalped three wickets while the Indian batters kept on milking the bowlers. “Definitely, Vizag is similar to Sri Lanka when it comes to weather and stuff. Mohali and Dharamsala were completely different. It was a totally different story. We are well prepared. Here I hope we will be able to do something special as this is something similar to what we find at home,” Perera told reporters on the eve of the match.

Let us take a look at Sri Lanka’s predicted XI for tomorrow’s decider against India:

Openers (Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka)

Danushka Gunathilaka would look to avoid the leg glance, next time he finds himself out in the middle. He got out to a soft dismissal in the second ODI at a crucial stage when the Lankans needed a strong start. Upul Tharanga, on the other hand, surely regrets his poor outing in the last game and he needs to find a cure to the leading edges which troubles him.

The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will once again look to have a go at them while the openers need to make use of the early field restrictions in order to provide a solid start to the Lankan innings. The conditions will certainly be different from Dharamshala and Mohali, and a run feast can be expected.

Middle order(Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella)

28-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne has a decent ODI record where he got starts but couldn’t capitalize on them. In Mohali, the left-hand batsman spent some time at the wicket and faced 35 balls for his 21 but failed to change gears when needed. However, the same can’t be said about Angelo Mathews, who hammered nine boundaries and three sixes on his way to 111, his second hundred in ODI cricket and interestingly both scored against India.

Mathews looks to be the man Sri Lanka needs to help them cross the finishing line. He scored 111 in the Delhi Test, remained unbeaten in Dharamshala and smashed a hundred in Mohali. The 30-year-old would want to end the series on a positive note.

Niroshan Dickwella celebrated his country’s first win in 13 games a few days back and watched Rohit Sharma play one of his best knocks from behind the stumps. The southpaw displayed his grit during the Test series and got starts in the ODIs. He will play a key role if Sri Lanka are to grab this series.

All-Rounders (Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera)

Asela Gunaratne bowled just one over and went for 10 runs in the last game. He is likely to roll his arms in the decider tomorrow and with 18 ODI wickets to his name, the Indians won’t be taking him lightly. He might share the workload with his captain Thisara Perera.

Perera will look to forget his previous encounter with the men in blue which was nightmarish for all. He finished with figures of 3/80 from his eight overs, as he was taken for five sixes and an equal number of boundaries. The all-rounder knows the importance of tomorrow’s game and an overall good show will help him create a lasting impression.

Bowlers (Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Sachith Pathirana, Akila Dhananjaya)

Cricket is a great leveller and who knows it better than Suranga Lakmal. The Lankan pacer was adjudged man of the match in the first ODI, all thanks to his four wickets and Sri Lanka’s victory. But the celebrations were short-lived as he was taken for 71 runs in his eight overs and went wicketless in the process. Lakmal will look to end the series on a high and do the needful.

Nuwan Pradeep is another good prospect for Sri Lanka in limited overs cricket. He went for 106 runs in his quota of 10 overs in Mohali but Pradeep will look to bounce back and bowl according to his strength in the final tomorrow. He is likely to retain his place in the side. Sachith Pathirana and Akila Dhananjaya must have their strategies in place to tangle the likes of Rohit and Shreyas with their spin. The two will have to stop the run flow in the middle overs and at the same time look to break the partnerships.