Sri Lanka vs India, 2021 Match Prediction – Who will win today’s 1st ODI match between SL vs IND?

Preview  

India and Sri Lanka are set to lock horns in the first of the three ODIs on Sunday, July 18 in Colombo. Both teams don’t have their full-strength squads due to various reasons.

With quite a few uncapped players in their 20-member squad, it will be interesting to see how the Men in Blue do on Lankan soil. The hosts, on the other hand, had a terrible time in England, losing both the ODI and T20I series.

Moreover, turmoil with the SLC hasn’t helped their cause. To add insult to injury, Kusal Perera, their skipper, and their fulcrum at the top-order, has been ruled out of the series due to shoulder injury.

Match Details

Match – Sri Lanka vs India – 1st match

Venue – R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Time – 03:00 PM IST, 09:30 AM GMT

Where to watch live – Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV

Pitch Report

The pitch at the RPS in Colombo has been fairly good for batting in the last decade or so. The ball might swing around under the lights, but batting isn’t expected to be all that tough.

The spinners might come into play as well as the game progresses. There are chances of rain at 6 AM, 10 AM and 2 PM. Hence, there could be a short delay. The clouds will be hovering over the venue for the entire day.

Avg score:  261 (35 ODIs in Colombo since January 2010)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 17, Lost – 16, N/R – 2

Playing combination for SL vs IND

Sri Lanka

Predicted XI

Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Minod Bhanuka (wk), Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya/Lakshan Sandakan, Dushmantha Chameera

Bench: Ramesh Mendis, Akila Dananjaya/Lakshan Sandakan, Binura Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Udara, Ishan Jayaratne, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Charith Asalanka, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Shiran Fernando, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando

India

Predicted XI

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson/Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar/Navdeep Saini, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

Bench: Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Krishnappa Gowtham, Sanju Samson/Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Navdeep Saini/Deepak Chahar, Chetan Sakariya

SL vs IND Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 159 | Sri Lanka – 56 | India – 91 | N/R – 11 | Tied- 1

In Sri Lanka

Played – 61 | Sri Lanka – 27 | India – 28 | N/R – 6

Probable best batsman of the match

Shikhar Dhawan– India

Shikhar Dhawan has been a fulcrum of India’s batting in the top-order. He is also 23 runs short of accomplishing 6,000 runs in ODI cricket. Dhawan’s numbers against Sri Lanka in the 50-over format are also stupendous. In 16 games, the left-hander has hammered 983 runs at an average of 70.21 with four centuries and a top score of an unbeaten 132 to show for his efforts.

Probable best bowler of the match

Bhuvneshwar Kumar– India

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a genuine wicket-taker for India in the limited-overs formats, though he hasn’t found his feet in Test cricket. Against the Lankans, Kumar has been impressive, picking up 17 wickets from 13 matches. The only time he played at the RPS in Colombo in 2017, the speedster picked up a five-wicket haul. He’s again expected to deliver in the upcoming game.

Today’s match prediction: India to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.