Sri Lanka leads the 3-ODI series 1-0 with 3rd match to be played on August 7 in Colombo.
A lot is at stake for India in the third ODI, as Men in Blue hasn’t lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka since 1997. Rohit Sharma will look to continue this unbeaten run as India aims to end the Sri Lanka tour on a winning note.
While Indian team management refrained from making changes in the playing XI for the first two ODIs, with them failing to chase down targets of under 250 twice in a row, it is expected that a couple of changes might be on the cards.
Considering this, Team COC presents you the Predicted Team India XI for the third ODI against Sri Lanka.
Here is the Team COC Predicted Team India playing XI:
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, captain and vice-captain of the Indian team, will open the innings. They have been in good touch, especially Rohit, who scored 58 and 64 in two matches thus far. Even Shubman Gill scored 35 in the second ODI.
Virat Kohli is expected to hold onto his number 3 spot despite scores of 24 and 14. One of the problems has been the team management tinkering with the batting order. Washington Sundar batted at no.4 in the first ODI, while in the second match, Shivam Dube batted at the position.
However, with both experiments failing and India needing to win this match, expect Shreyas Iyer to bat at no.4 with KL Rahul following in at no.5 spot. Both are seasoned batters and did extremely well in the ICC World Cup, batting at those two spots.
Shivam Dube might be dropped for this ODI, as he has struggled against Sri Lankan spinners with the bat. He was out LBW in both games, failing to read the spin from the hand or off the pitch. His bowling hasn't been used that much.
India can bring Riyan Parag into the XI. He gives India another spin option given that the RPS surface is helping spinners a lot.
Akshar Patel and Washington Sundar have been excellent with the bat and the ball till now and expect them to continue doing their job. Kuldeep Yadav has been economical in both matches but has not had the effect he is known for with only three wickets to show for.
Mohammed Siraj made the ball swing and seam and asked questions to the batters. However, India might want to give him some better support and also rest Arshdeep Singh, who played all three T20Is and both the first ODIs.
India has the option of playing Khaleel Ahmed who is also a left-handed pacer or handing a debut to Harshit Rana, who impressed with his pace of around 140 plus in the IPL and domestic cricket. He will bring another dimension to the Indian pacer attack.
COC Predicted Team India playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Riyan Parag, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana