Having sealed a series-clinching win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, the final fixture of the three-match series will be a dead rubber for hosts India. Rohit Sharma and Co. won the first ODI by 67 runs, where Virat Kohli clobbered 113 runs off 87 balls to help India post 373 for seven in 50 overs. Chasing a target of 374 runs, Sri Lanka could only reach 306 for eight in 50 overs, despite an unbeaten knock of 108 runs off 88 balls by Dasun Shanaka. Umran Malik was in hot form and bagged three wickets to help India take a 1-0 lead.
In the second ODI, India successfully chased down a target of 216 runs, reaching 219 for six in 43.2 overs to win by four wickets. KL Rahul played an unbeaten knock of 64 runs off 103 balls to help the home side cross the finishing line in Kolkata. Meanwhile, three wicket hauls by Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 215 in 39.4 overs.
In the third ODI, fans and experts will be expecting Rohit and Rahul Dravid to experiment with the playing XI, and try out some new permutations and combinations. Speaking to PTI, former Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal feels that the management should give Suryakumar Yadav a chance. The MI star didn’t feature in the first and second ODIs as India gave preference to Shreyas Iyer, who has been India’s best middle-order batter in the 50-overs format in the last year or so.
“Looking at this Indian team, it shows how much strength is there in the bench. I still feel Surya can play in the middle order in this Indian team”, he said.
Chandimal, who is currently not part of the Sri Lankan side, said Surya can frustrate the opposition by scoring quickly.
“He is different to other batters. You need a guy like him in the middle-order. He can change the game by just scoring 30 to 50 runs. Opposition team can be frustrated with the speed at which he scores. I still feel he should play in ODIs”, he further added.
The third and final ODI is scheduled for Sunday, and will be held at Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
