New Delhi, Sept 6: High on confidence after making a clean sweep of the three-match Test series and the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series, dominant India will look to outclassing Sri Lanka in the one-off Twenty20 International (T20I) at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday.
The Virat Kohli-led India side, which landed in the Emerald Isle in July, thumped the hosts 5-0 in the five-match ODIs outclassing them in all departments of the game. Prior to the 50-over format, India registered a whitewash in the three-match Test series 3-0.
If India beat Sri Lanka in the lone T20I then it will be only the second instance when a team has swept a series 9-0, all three formats combined. Australia had crushed Pakistan 9-0 in the 2010 series Down Under.
The visitors will look to continue on their fine form in the shortest format of the game also. With hard-hitting batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Hardik Pandya in their ranks, they would look to setting up a massive target against the opposition bowling.
Batsmen Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav and Lokesh Rahul will add depth to the India batting line-up.
In the bowling department, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was awarded the Man of the Series award in the ODIs for picking up 15 wickets in five matches, will once again be the key bowler whom Kohli will look up to for providing early breakthroughs alongside fellow pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur.
Spinnners Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel along with medium pacer Pandya will be vital in the middle overs to put the brakes on the Sri Lankan batting.
For Sri Lanka, captain Upul Tharanga, who will lead his side for the first time in T20I since Angelo Mathews resigned in July, will hope to debut as skipper with a win.
Sri Lanka will aim to restore some pride after losses in the ODI and Test series. They have come under heavy criticism from their fans.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Kuldeep Yadav, Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga (captain), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wicket-keeper), Dilshan Munaweera, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardana, Wanidu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Isuru Udana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Vikum Sanjaya.
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