Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first in the third and final ODI against India in Colombo. With Sri Lanka leading the series 1-0, a win today will secure their first bilateral ODI series win against India since 1997.
Charith Asalanka was confident in his decision to bat, a strategy that has worked well throughout the series. Sri Lanka made one change, bringing in Maheesh Theekshana to replace Akila Dhananjaya.
For the visitors, there were two changes. Riyan Parag made his ODI debut, replacing Arshdeep Singh. Parag, who had troubled the Sri Lankan batters during the T20Is, added an extra spinner and strengthened the batting lineup. Additionally, Rishabh Pant returned to ODI cricket for the first time since his car crash in late 2022, taking the place of KL Rahul and donning the gloves.
India’s lineup now includes two seamers and four spinners, while Sri Lanka opted for just one seamer, Janith Liyanage, alongside five spinners.
The pitch at Colombo was new and dry, suggesting that spin will become more influential as the match progresses. Both teams have struggled to capitalize on their starts, and Asalanka expressed hope for a century on this pitch.
The weather forecast for the Colombo ODI is mostly clear for the start and evening, though there is a chance of rain later in the afternoon.
Sri Lanka’s lineup: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (capt), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
India’s lineup: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
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