Sri Lanka vs India: In this thrilling ODI series opener against India, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss at Khettarama and elected to bat first. The match has all the elements of being played under Asalanka’s captaincy for the first time in his ODI career, and he has chosen to set a target for the visiting team. The hosts Sri Lanka are juggling with the fact that their leading fast bowlers are unavailable, with either injury or illness. Sri Lanka has handed an international debut to seamer Mohamed Shiraz, who recently turned out for the best List A figures, six for 21, to strengthen their pace attack.

Then there is the return of their stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two bona fides who bat in key positions for India. The team selection has also seen the picking of Shivam Dube ahead of Riyan Parag, with KL Rahul continuing to be the wicketkeeper in ODIs. This also means that Rishabh Pant will have to face a long wait for an ODI comeback after his major car accident last December 2022. The fulcrum of the Indian middle order is Shreyas Iyer, and this game will be his first in international cricket since he lost his central contract.

India’s bowling strategy has Kuldeep Yadav leading the spin attack, supported by Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, which means a formidable trio when the pitch in question starts to slow down throughout the game. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are India’s pacers in this match.

Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat considering the pitch supposedly getting slower and slower, which becomes more and more challenging for the batsmen as the game progresses. They both have the mixture of seasoned players and new talent to enthral a good contest.

Sri Lanka:

1. Pathum Nissanka
2. Avishka Fernando
3. Kusal Mendis (wk)
4. Sadeera Samarawickrama
5. Charith Asalanka (capt)
6. Janith Liyanage
7. Wanindu Hasaranga
8. Dunith Wellalage
9. Akila Dananjaya
10. Asitha Fernando
11. Mohamed Shiraz

India:

1. Rohit Sharma (capt)
2. Shubman Gill
3. Virat Kohli
4. Shreyas Iyer
5. KL Rahul (wk)
6. Shivam Dube
7. Washington Sundar
8. Axar Patel
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Arshdeep Singh
11. Mohammed Siraj

As the Sri Lanka vs India game progresses, see how the conditions and the pitch start to play their part in the plans for each team. This will be a packed, exciting ODI with much going on.