India take on Sri Lanka as Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the first ODI at the R Premadasa stadium on August 2, Friday. India are coming in the ODI set up on a high of a T20I series triumph against Sri Lanka. While Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to the ODI fold, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Kuldeep Yadav too found a place in Men in Blue's Playing XI in the series opener.
What did the captains say?
Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka, after winning the toss, said:
“We are going to bat first. It looks like a dry pitch and that's the reason. We are going with 6-5 combination. Shiraz is making his debut today. We have to improve our mental skills, we did some bad things in the last game but that is the past and we are looking forward to this game. It is a concern as a captain but I am looking forward to going with my second line of bowling."
Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma, after losing the toss, said:
“Good pitch. We have played a lot of cricket here and know the conditions. There has been a lot of changes; I am back, so is Virat, KL and Shreyas Iyer. Kuldeep also comes back in. Dube is also playing. We have a pretty decent balance. We had a great World Cup, we didn't cross the finishing line but there were a lot of positives. We have created an atmosphere where guys can come in and play with freedom. Not really (on whether he will bowl), I will focus on my batting. We have enough bowlers in the squad that can roll their arm over."
India's Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(wk), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka's Playing XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz
Head-to-Head
India and Sri Lanka have so far faced each other in 168 ODIs out of which Men in Blue have excelled in 99 while the Island Nation have emerged victorious in 57 occasions. Meanwhile, 11 matches ended without a result and one match concluded with a stalemate.
Pitch and Conditions
“It doesn't look too bad (the pitch). It is pleasant out here. But you wear black or woolen clothens then you are sweating up a storm. This pitch was used for the LPL Qualifier but you can't really tell as the footmarks have disappeared. Very little grass covering. It may turn. And it could be a little tacky. I expect there to be some runs and batting to be easier under lights,” Scott Styris analysed the pitch.
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