With series already in pocket, India lock horns with Sri Lanka in the dead rubber as Men in Blue won the toss and opted to bat first in the third ODI in Thiruvananthpuram on Sunday (January 15).
Meanwhile, India made two changes in their playing XI. Skipper Rohit Sharma included Suryakumar Yadav and Washington Sundar in the final XI and dropped Hardik Pandya and Umran Malik.
“We will bat first. Looks a good pitch, try to make the most of it. Still a lot of areas we can keep improving, today gives up a chance to perfect those. We want to play close to a perfect game, we'll never be the perfect game. Hardik and Umran are rested, Washington and Suryakumar are in,” said India captain Rohit after the toss.
Meanwhile, Sir Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka said,"Environment here feels very similar to Sri Lanka".
A 3-0 series win before taking on a better-quality opposition in New Zealand in less than 72 hours time will keep the India in good stead.
Pitch Report:
“There's a middle square today, equal boundaries all side. The pitch looks really good, no grass on it. Bt there could be moisture underneath. Spinners have taken wickets here, and there have been low scores in the past. It looks like a good batting track, but in the Vijay Hazare games here, five out of eight times the teams were all out. Could be a tricky pitch. If I were Sri Lanka, I would choose to bowl first considering the dew that would come into play during the evening,”Kumar Sangakkara and Deep Das Gupta analyse the pitch.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Avishka Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Ashen Bandara, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
