India v Sri Lanka: Combined Best XI of the ODI series

Before the start of the series, India were expected to steamroll Sri Lanka in the three-match One-Day International series. Sri Lanka fought hard in the Test series and they looked to carry forward the same rigour in the ODI series. The Islanders defied the odds and comprehensively rolled over the hosts in the first ODI in Dharamshala.

However, India made a strong comeback as India registered a thumping victory at Chandigarh. With all to play for in the decider, the teams moved to Vishakhapatnam. Nevertheless, India brought forth their A-game and clinched the series by a margin of 2-1. In our article, we take an insight into the combined best XI from the series.

1. Rohit Sharma (c)

Rohit Sharma has blown hot and cold in the series, yet he finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer. He fell prey to a vicious out-swinger of Suranga Lakmal in the first ODI at Dharamshala. In the third ODI in Vishakhapatnam, he was castled by Akila Dananjaya. In between, he dished out a blinder at Chandigarh.

He dished out his third double-century- the most by any batsman in ODIs. Meanwhile, he also equalled David Warner and Sachin Tendulkar for notching five 150+ scores in the format.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar commenced the series with an eight-ball duck when he was trapped in front by Angelo Matthews in the first ODI at Dharamshala. He made amends with a breezy knock of 68 runs off 67 balls at Chandigarh, which included nine boundaries. However, he missed out on a century on a batsman’s paradise.

He made up for the missed opportunity as he racked up his 12th ODI ton in 84 balls in Vishakhapatnam. En route his scintillating century, the swashbuckling batsman also became the sixth fastest batsman to 4000 ODI runs, accumulating them in 96 games.

3. Upul Tharanga

Tharanga has been one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent batsmen in recent times. He showed decent form against Pakistan at the UAE and carried forward the touch against India. With Sri Lanka chasing a modest target at Dharamshala, he played a quick-fire knock of 49 runs to put his team in the driver’s seat.

The second ODI at Chandigarh didn’t turn out to be a fruitful outing for the left-hander as he perished cheaply to Hardik Pandya. In the decider at Vishakhapatnam, he played another substantial knock of 95 runs. Meanwhile, with 151 runs, he was Sri Lanka’s top run-scorer in the series.

4. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer made his international debut in a T20I against New Zealand on the back of some brilliant performance in the domestic circuit. He made his ODI debut in the first ODI at Dharamshala, but could only muster nine runs off 27 balls.

He showed his prowess in the second ODI at Chandigarh as he carted the Lankan bowlers to a score of 88 runs in 70 balls. The Mumbai-batsman replicated the same form in Vishakhapatnam as he piled on 65 runs off 63 balls to pave the way for India’s series victory.

5. Angelo Mathews

Angelo Mathews has been Sri Lanka’s stalwart for many years with several impressive performances under his belt. In the ODI series against India, Angelo impressed with both bat and ball. In the first game, he strangled the Indian batsman with a spell of 5-2-8-1 and then churned out a patient 25 not-out during the run-chase.

In the second ODI, when Rohit Sharma and co were taking the Lankan bowlers to the cleaners, Matthews finished with figures of 4-1-9-0. Thereafter, he played a lone, yet stupendous hand of 111 runs at Chandigarh. He was castled by Yuzvendra Chahal in the deciding game.

6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s performances in international cricket have been under the scanner for a quite a while now. With a string of lacklustre performances, he received a lot a flak form the pundits and general audiences. In the One Day International series against Sri Lanka, the wicket-keeper batsman got a solitary opportunity to bat in the first game at Dharamshala.

India was tottering at 29/7 and were in danger of registering the lowest total in ODIs. However, MSD came to the party and dished out a well-compiled knock of 65 runs off 87 balls. The knock also guided India past the 100-run mark.

7. Akila Dananjaya

Akila Dananjaya has previously troubled the Indian batsmen with his guile and trajectory. Quite rightly, he was selected in the Sri Lankan squad for their tour of India. The move paid dividends as he was able to put a lid on the Indians at Dharamshala with a frugal spell of 5-2-7-1.

During India’s run-feast in the second ODI at Chandigarh, the tweaker bowled 24 dot-balls and impressed with figures of 10-0-51-0. He was a touch expensive at Vishakhapatnam, but picked up the all-important wicket of Rohit Sharma with a wrong urn.

8. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm chinaman bowler, has impressed for India in the last one year. He got only a couple of games in the recently concluded ODI series to display his skills with the ball. In the first game, he didn’t get an opportunity to bowl owing to the nature of the wicket. However, he lent appropriate support to MS Dhoni and scored 19 runs with four boundaries.

He was dropped from the team for the second game, but was drafted back for the deciding encounter. He nipped out the crucial scalps of Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella and finished with a spell of 10-0-42-3.

9. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah, with the passage of time, has emerged as India’s bowling-spearhead, especially in the limited-overs format. In the recent One Day International series against Sri Lanka, the Gujarat pacer could only pick up four wickets.

However, he didn’t allow the Lankans to dictate terms against him and bowled with venom and ferocity. In the three games at Dharamshala, Chandigarh and Vishakhapatnam, he finished with economy rates of 4.57, 4.30 and 4.90 respectively, which are considered stupendous in a generation of slam-bang cricket.

10. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has effortless been India’s best spinner in coloured-clothing cricket. With an ability to pick wickets at any stage of a contest, Chahal has displayed a tremendous level of consistency, inflicting body-blows to opposition batsmen. He didn’t bowl in the opening game, but churned out the vital scalps of Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella and Thissara Perera at Chandigarh.

The spell eradicated chances of a Sri Lankan comeback. Even in the third game, Chahal broke the ominous looking stand between Upul Tharanga and Sadeera Samarawickrama, which sparked Sri Lanka’s batting collapse. Meanwhile, he finished as the top wicket-taker in the series.

11. Suranga Lakmal

Suranga Lakmal bowled exceptionally well in the Test series against India, which earned him appreciations from the cricketing fraternity. In the first game at Dharamshala, he ripped apart the celebrated Indian batting lineup with figures of 10-4-13-4, which included a staggering 53 dot deliveries.

The spell carved a way for a Sri Lankan triumph and ended their 12-match losing streak in ODIs. He was a touch disappointing in the second ODI as Rohit Sharma laid into him. However, the fast-bowler bowled economically in the final ODI and dished out figures of 5-2-20-0.