After snatching the rare ODI Super League points against India's third-row side, Sri Lanka will now have to deal with some of the best IPL players in this T20I series. And they may have to do so without the top scorers and top wicket-takers in the LPL - Danushka Gunathilaka (suspended for bio-bubble breach during the tour in England) and Wanindu Hasaranga (recovering from injury). Sri Lanka's recent form has also stacked up against them: they have lost all except one in their last 13 (completed) T20Is. That only win came against West Indies, the reigning World T20 champions, on a dull surface in Antigua, where their spinners clicked in unison.
On Friday too, it was the spinners that led Sri Lanka to victory and although India are better than the West Indies in dealing with the slow bowlers, spin on the potentially helpful Khetaram track could be Sri Lanka's best bet. Akila Dhananjaya, playing his first ODI of the series, created a threat by swinging the ball both ways while rookie left-arm finger spinner Pravin Jayavikrama tricked the batsmen with a subtle change in pace.
However, Sri Lanka have not yet qualified for the main draw of the T20 World Cup. To enter the Super 12 stages they need to finish in the top two in the first round – where they are grouped with Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia. For India, they are strong contenders for the title along with West Indies and England. This series will be their last chance to mend their plans ahead of the tournament.
Can Varun Chakraborty prove his fitness and emerge as the point of difference in India's attack? Yuzvendra Chahal or Rahul Chahar: Who will be India's first choice for the World Cup? Can Prithvi Shaw continue his claim for a more permanent role at the top in white-ball internationals? Chetan Sakaria or T Natarajan (injured and hence not on this tour)? These are some of the questions before the Indian management ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held in UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.
Sri Lanka LLLLW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India WWLWL
Chamika Karunaratne has often worked hard for Sri Lanka in this white-ball series - finishing the innings with the bat and bowling when the team needs success - and she has done it with gusto. The 25-year-old has a variety of tempting shots in his locker, including a helicopter, and his bowling has shades of Dhammika Prasad, especially as he pounds the deck. He can also make his T20 debut on Sunday.
Over the years, Sri Lanka has had several mysterious spinners who have troubled the opposition - remember Ajantha Mendis and Sachitra Senanayake? - And now India has one of its own in Varun Chakravarthy. Chakraborty can bowl in the powerplay, in the middle overs, and also in the slog, which is why the team management is giving him another crack at international cricket, though having failed two fitness tests in the past.
Kasun Rajita has been ruled out due to injury while Hasaranga is likely to return despite a short turnaround. If Hasaranga is fit, Jayavikrama will have to wait for his T20I debut. Sri Lanka may also consider bringing back Isuru Udana, who is a T20 specialist.
Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Avishka Fernando, 2 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charit Aslanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (captain), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Vanindu Hasaranga/Praveen Jayawickrama, 9 Isuru Udana , 10 Dushmantha Chamira, 11 Akila Dhananjaya
Chakraborty, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devdutt Padikkal were the only three players in India's team that did not get a game in the previous ODI series. While there are no real vacancies in the batting line-up, Chakraborty could potentially make his first international appearance. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar are likely to be back in the XI, having been rested amid six changes on Friday.
India (Probable): 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (c), 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya/K Gautam, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Varun Chakraborty, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal/Rahul Chahar
Khetarama's pitch may change as he did during the ODIs. The sky may remain cloudy with the possibility of rain on Sunday evening as well.
Statistics and general knowledge
- Three batsmen had scored more than Shaw's 308 runs in the first half of IPL 2021, but none of the top 20 had a strike rate higher than his 166.48.
- Sri Lanka last won a bilateral T20I series in 2019, when a second-string side toured Pakistan and surprised them. He has since lost each of his next five rubbers.
- India has won 13 out of 19 T20 matches played against Sri Lanka.
"I changed a few small things between the England series and this series. I had a problem with my front foot going to the off side. So I corrected it in training, and then because of that I was able to get back in the runs. "
Sri Lankan opening batsman Avishka Fernando
"After coming to Mumbai Indians in 2018, things started changing a bit. I figured out what my responsibility is, how do I go about my game, how can I take it a step further."
India's middle order batsman Suryakumar Yadav