During the practice session on Tuesday, Shubhman Gill took a swing at Axar Patel’s left-arm spin, this shows that the team is focusing on improving their gameplay against spin bowling. India in the second ODI faced defeat against Sri Lanka where they struggled to save the wickets and lost significantly one after the other. India lost 5 wickets in LBW (leg before wicket) because they could not manage against spin bowling.
India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has admitted that India is facing issues with spin bowling, particularly in the middle overs two games in a row, and they need to go back and rectify those errors.
In the two-hour session, where Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli especially spent the majority of the time, they would hope that some of their experiments have held them in good stead heading into the last game of the ongoing Sri Lanka tour.
The loss in the second match has also opened up India’s options – to field their best possible XI or experiment keeping in mind the next big ICC tournament that’s coming in a matter of six months. The new coaching staff, led by Gautam Gambir faces consistent pressure regarding the performance of the team, they need to avoid ending their tour on a disappointing note.
Details of the final ODI match between India and Sri Lanka
Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Time: 2:30 PM
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Columbo
Expected conditions: It is expected to be yet another low-scoring encounter, with assistance from spinners. The weather will likely be pleasant with slight cloudy cover in the skies through the afternoon.
Team News:
Sri Lanka: Having not lost a game as yet in this series, Sri Lanka is likely to stick to the same XI that they played on Sunday. Dunith Wellalage could earn a promotion in the batting order.
Probable XI: Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (C), Janith Liyanage, Kusal Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
India: Rohit Sharma turned up for practice on Tuesday but didn’t bat. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant did tonk the ball around a bit against the spinners in the nets. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul had fairly long sessions. Neither Mohammed Siraj nor Arshdeep Singh bowled.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube/Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed
