Big picture: SL eyes first T20I series victory in India
Sri Lanka’s batters may not frighten the opposition, but they understand the grammar of the format. Throughout their innings in the second T20I, Sri Lanka had at least one batter in the middle – Kusal Mendis in the first half and Dasun Shanaka in the second – bringing the attack to the bowlers. In Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana they have two with the most crafty spinners around. If their fast bowlers click, as they did in Pune, they can compete with any side.
Form guide
India LWTWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLLWL
In the spotlight: Arshdeep Singh and Dasun Shanaka
Team News: Will India, SL Make Changes?
After the second T20I, Rahul Dravid said India didn’t want to make too many changes unless there was an injury. So expect them to go with an unchanged XI.
India (likely): 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka may be facing a selection conundrum. Will they keep the winning combination, or try to improve it further by replacing an out-of-form Bhanuka Rajapaksa with Sadeera Samarawickrama? In the recently concluded LPL, Samarawickrama was the second highest run getter with 294 runs at an average of 58.80 and a strike rate of 131.25.
Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Sadeera Samarawickrama/Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (captain), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan Madushanka
Pitch and conditions: Run-fest in Rajkot?
The Rajkot field is often compared to the adjacent state highway, so get ready for another running fest. The teams will try to bowl first after winning the coin toss, as this location favors the chasing team. It will be a cool evening with clear skies; the temperature should be around 17°C.
Statistics and tidbits
- Yuzvendra Chahal (88) needs three wickets to overtake Bhuvneshwar Kumar (90) as the highest wicket taker for India in T20Is.
- Hardik has captained India in seven T20Is so far. Thursday was the first time he finished on the losing side.
- Sri Lanka has never played an international match at SCA Stadium, Rajkot.
- In his last ten T20Is, Rajapaksa has 137 runs at an average of 15.22 and a strike rate of 115.12.
Quotes
“She [Sri Lanka] have quite an experienced T20I side in this series. They haven’t made too many changes to their playing XI since the World Cup. They have some class players. They have some very good spinners, they have power hitters in the back of the game. I think Dasun Shanaka plays very well. They may have had some rough patches but they are certainly not a side you would take lightly at any stage.”
head coach of India Rahul Dravid on his opponents
“It’s not about the mystery, it’s always about the right line and length. If I don’t hit the right line and length, they go [batters] will go after me. So when bowling I always try to focus on that. That’s why I’ve continuously done well in this format.
Maheesh Theekshana reveals the method behind its mysterious twist
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo