When and Where to Watch Sri Lanka vs India Live Streaming, Match Preview, Timings, and Pitch Report for 2nd ODI

India has not lost an ODI in Sri Lanka since 2012. With efforts like those Sri Lanka displayed on Sunday, India won’t lose another 100 years.

View : 3K

5 Min Read

Indian Cricket Team
info
Indian Cricket Team. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

“When Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) came out to bat, I thought I need to improve my skills.” That was one of the things that Shikhar Dhawan had to say after India cantered home to a win as dominating as a captain on debut would like – seven wickets, with 80 balls to spare.

Dhawan is a veteran of 143 ODIs. The game where he rather modestly admitted about needing to “improve” his skills was one where he top-scored with a subtle, solid 95-ball 86; slightly less aggressive, but no less in terms of how much it contributed to his team’s win.

The inning was laced with personal landmarks too: Dhawan became the fourth-fastest to 6000 ODI runs (140 innings); the fastest to 1000 ODI runs against Sri Lanka (17 innings). No one with substandard skillsets could generate numbers like those. Anyway, a player of Dhawan’s ODI caliber needs no seal of approval. But his light-hearted admission told a thing or two about where India is headed.

India looked different against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Of course, with the majority of the first-choice, regular players absent, they were bound to. But that was only one sense and half the reason why they looked different. The other half was the approach, the way India played their cricket.

In glaring contrast to the reputation of building up a chase, heating up slowly, taking the game deep, and blasting off, India seemed to have a tiger on its tail from the onset. They were urgent, rushed and dramatically – even disdainfully – quick, to say the least. With fresh faces came a fresh approach.

Prithvi Shaw, like an automobile that would accelerate 0 to 100 in 2.1 seconds, took India off to the briskest of starts. His boundary-laden, tone-setting 43 was a seductive blend of aggression and beauty. He was pleasingly easy to the eye, playing each stroke with the class of the highest order. Some of those so appetizing, you would not mind paying to watch a replay.

Ishan Kishan was belligerent, even agricultural, at times. On the overall aesthetic, he might lose marks against Shaw, and his knock was not chanceless either – he was dropped thrice – but he was successful nonetheless. Kishan got off the mark in ODIs with a statement-making down-the-ground six and took forward what Shaw had started. So ballistic was their assault that Dhawan became an onlooker, and rather happily. And then there was Suryakumar Yadav, whose 31 off 20 was equally breezy, including a hat-trick of fours and some delectable sweeps and punches.

Some felt what India fielded was a second-string side. Safe to say, those thoughts were quite nicely laid to rest within the first hour of India’s response. Theirs was a performance so ruthless that perhaps a few first-choice elevens might fail to muster.

What is easy to forget in between is how well India bowled, consistently picking wickets and never letting their opponents vision a target that could pose threat to India’s batting might. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who regrouped straight after the 2019 World Cup, picked 4 wickets between them, giving 100 in 19 overs combined; Hardik Pandya returned to bowling action. Keeping aside Bhuvneshwar Kumar not taking a wicket, there was not another box that India left unchecked in Colombo.

What of Sri Lanka? They could hardly tick any. With the bat, they were all guilty of getting the eyes in and throwing their wickets away. With the ball, they benevolently offered India width and chances to free their arms, India obliged. In the field, they dropped catches and misfielded as if they had set India 400, not 262.

And now, following their eighth defeat in 10 matches, tottering at the 12th spot in ICC CWCSL table, they look increasingly destined to battle out with a bunch of Associate nations at the 2022 qualifier for ensuring their entry in the 50-over global event in 2023. As for the second game of the series, India has not lost an ODI in Sri Lanka since 2012. With efforts like those Sri Lanka displayed on Sunday, India won’t lose another 100 years.

Pitch and conditions 

Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar extracted movement towards the start of the game, with conditions slightly overcast. However, there was little to no movement later in the day when Sri Lanka bowled. The wicket seemed slow when the hosts batted, but India showed that it had more to do with Sri Lanka’s approach than the conditions. There was ample turn on offer, and that will increase given the second fixture will be played on the same track.

Playing combination for SL vs IND

Sri Lanka

Despite all of Sri Lanka’s volatility of late, they are not expected to make a slew of changes. Isuru Udana, though, bore the brunt in the first game, leaking 27 in a two-over spell. Sri Lanka might want to consider Lahiru Kumara in that slot.

Predicted XI: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (WK), Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka (C), Isuru Udana/Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Karunaratne, Lakshan Sandakan, Dushmantha Chameera

India

After a clinical show, India is unlikely to tinker with the winning combination, unless they want to give any player game time.

Predicted XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

SL vs IND Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 160 | Sri Lanka – 56 | India – 92 | N/R – 11 | Tied- 1

In Sri Lanka

Played – 62 | Sri Lanka – 27 | India – 29 | N/R – 6

Match Details

Match – Sri Lanka vs India 2nd ODI

Venue – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Time – 03:00 PM IST, 09:30 AM GMT

Telecast – Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store