India vs Sri Lanka Match 2: India Will Be Eyeing Their 10th Consecutive Odi Series Win Over Sri Lanka

• India started the series with a commanding win in the first ODI as they racked up 373 and ended up winning by 67 runs. 

• Sri Lanka have recorded just one ODI win on Indian soil in the last 10 years. In fact, they have never recorded a bilateral ODI series win in India. 

• India will be eyeing their 10th consecutive ODI series win over Sri Lanka.

India vs Sri Lanka Odds

Odds taken from bet365

India vs Sri Lanka Prediction and Pick

Given the form that they showed in the first ODI, India seem to be well-rounded and they will definitely be the favourites to wrap up the series in this second ODI. Their recent ODI record against Sri Lanka is phenomenal as well.

Predicted XI 

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara/Pramod Madushan

Rohit Sharma-Led India Look to Wrap Up the Series as Sri Lanka Eye Fightback

India displayed their batting might in the first ODI as they racked up 373 in 50 overs. The big stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepped up beautifully while Shubman Gill continued his solid run in the 50-over format. Rohit Sharma looked very fluent and was set for a big score before he fell for 83 and Gill got 70 while Kohli notched up his 45th ODI hundred.

India’s bowling was excellent for most parts, especially their pace attack. Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik were all impressive. In fact, Siraj and Malik have been very good in ODI cricket recently. Siraj has been superb over the last year while Malik has started his ODI career promisingly. However, there are a couple of issues that give India slight headaches. India’s spinners didn’t really make an impact and despite having Sri Lanka down at 206/8, they conceded 100 runs in the last 12 overs. 

On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were inconsistent and they couldn’t sustain the pressure in the first game. Their fielding was a big let down as well. They will be eyeing a lot of improvement at the Eden Gardens. Meanwhile, barring Pathum Nissanka who got 72, the top-order couldn’t really get going. It was only Dasun Shanaka’s splendid ton that dragged the visitors over 300. 

Sri Lanka face an uphill task if they have to level the series. Their game in all three departments needs to get better. But they have performed well in the last 12 months in the 50-over format and they have remained unbeaten in the last four ODI series’.

Team News

Dilshan Madushanka hurt his left shoulder while fielding in the first ODI and could not complete his quota of overs. He may not be fit in time for this game and either Lahiru Kumara or Pramod Madushan might replace the left-arm pacer in the Sri Lanka XI. 

Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the series on the eve of the series and Umran Malik played as the third fast bowler. Thus, India are unlikely to make any changes to the XI that won the first game.

Key Players 

KL Rahul looked in good touch in the first game of this series. The Karnataka batter made 39 off 29 balls (four fours and one six). He has faced quite a bit of criticism in the recent past but ODI cricket has been his best format in the last few years. Batting in the middle-order (No. 4 and 5), Rahul has amassed 737 runs at an average of 56.69 and a strike-rate of 106.96. Thus, he will be the one to watch out for.

Wanindu Hasaranga didn’t have a great game in the first ODI. Despite that, the leg-spinning all-rounder was Sri Lanka’s second-most economical bowler (6.70) in his 10-over spell. His knack of picking wickets in the middle-overs is absolutely vital for Sri Lanka. Last year, he took 10 scalps in five matches at an economy rate of 5.26 in ODI cricket. Hasaranga’s lower-order hitting is crucial as well and he has showed that in small patches over the T20I series and the first ODI. 

How to Watch India vs Sri Lanka

• What: India vs Sri Lanka, Match 2, ODI Series
• Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
• When: January 12, 2023 / 1:30 PM IST 
• How to watch: Star Sports / Disney+Hotstar (India), Dialog TV and PeoTV (Sri Lanka), ESPN Player (United Kingdom), Fox Sports (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa), Willow TV (USA)