Road Safety World Series, 2020: India Legends vs Sri Lanka Legends, 3rd Match Preview: Another battle of former legends awaits as both sides aim for their second win

The caravan of the inaugural Road Safety World Series is in full flow and the third game will see Sachin Tendulkar-led Indian Legends take on a star-studded Sri Lankan Legends line-up at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This tournament has so far proved to be a fairytale for the fans who have grown up watching the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Chaminda Vaas, Zaheer Khan, Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Carl Hooper, Jonty Rhodes showcase their skills and talent on the world stage during their pomp. And, by the evidence of the first two games, it is pretty clear that they have still got it.

And, Tuesday’s encounter will once again give the fans an opportunity to relive a plethora of sub-battles between the likes of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh against Chaminda Vaas, Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillekeratne Dilshan, Marvan Atthapathu locking horns against Zaheer Khan.

Both sides have got off to a winning start to their campaign with India strolling past West Indies legends thanks to an imperious opening stand between Virender Sehwag [74* off 57 balls] and Sachin Tendulkar [36 off 29 balls] which propelled them to a seven-wicket win during their run-chase of 150.

Sri Lanka Legends, on the other hand, survived a late scare in the form of Nathan Reardon’s whirlwind 96 off 53 balls, to pull-off a seven-run win against Australia Legends with skipper Dilshan spearheading the bowling effort with a three-wicket haul after steady contributions from Romesh Kaluwitharana [30], Chamara Kapugedera [28] and an unbeaten 20 off 15 balls from Farveez Mahroof propelled them to an eventual match-winning total of 8-161.

Heading into this game, both sides will be looking to further consolidate their spot in the points table by picking up their second win of the tournament.

Team Combinations

India Legends

India Legends went in with just four frontline batsmen in the last game but with the likes of Sehwag and Tendulkar doing really well as an opening pair, they did not feel the need for additional back-up in the middle-order.

Having said that, if they do opt for bolstering their batting-unit against a strong Sri Lankan spin-attack, they might rope in Sanjay Bangar at the expense of one of their bowlers.

Probable XI: Sachin Tendulkar (C), Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Sameer Dighe (WK), Irfan Pathan, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, Sairaj Bahutule/Sanjay Bangar, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan.

Sri Lanka Legends

The islanders might look to go in with the same team that gave them a seven-run win in the last game. Tillakaratne Dilshan will be looking forward to leading his side from the front and deliver a strong batting performance along with Marvan Atapattu.

Probable XI: Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan (c), Marvan Atapattu, Chamara Kapugedera, Upul Chandana, Farveez Maharoof,  Sachithra Senanayake, Thilan Thushara, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath

Focus will be on

Virender Sehwag [IND-L]- Sehwag showed in the first game what the Indian fans have missed since his retirement. The former opener turned back the clock when he scored back-to-back boundaries on the first two balls of the Indian innings. Sehwag had a plethora of battles with the likes of Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath during his celebrated career. And, it will be interesting to see how he goes about his business when he resumed his battle against them on Tuesday.

Sachin Tendulkar [IND-L]- The Master Blaster- courtesy his trademark strokes in the first game- showed that he has still got it. And, the fans will hope that they get to see an extended encore of it on Tuesday.

Muttiah Muralitharan [SL-L]- The champion spinner wasn’t at his best in the first game as he conceded 26 runs in his three overs. Expect the genius off-spinner to make a whirlwind comeback on Tuesday.

Broadcast Details

Live Streaming: Voot and Jio

TV: Colors Cineplex

Match Timings: 07:00 PM IST & 1:30 PM GMT