Endurance and recovery in focus as India take on Lankan challenge

“I was going to ask you to keep the interview short, I'm very tired” - This is how Virat Kohli started the post-match presentation. 

If we needed a bigger reminder of how the Asia Cup has squeezed itself this year, that was it. India completed a certified banger performance against Pakistan on Monday, with many positive takeaways, but the bigger worry for them would be to come back to the same humid atmosphere less than 15 hours later. To be honest, it is not going to be easy.

It is not easy to grasp what goes into making a professional cricketer in the modern era. They grapple with incredible pressure, from rigorous schedules to the ever-watchful eye of social media. The repercussions of this intense environment reverberate throughout the cricketing ecosystem, who would raise objections?

Dasun Shanaka knows the road to the Asia Cup final is not easy. Though Sri Lanka claimed a convincing victory over Bangladesh on Saturday, they now face the formidable task of overcoming India and Pakistan, needing at least one win to keep their finals hopes alive. The fact that they are currently enjoying their longest winning streak in ODI history, with an impressive 13 consecutive victories, will undoubtedly serve as inspiration in front of their home crowd.

Things to watch out for 

Would Sri Lanka give way so easily?

From bowlers flexing their muscles to the Indian top order surging off any call on their effectiveness, the arch-rivals clash was pretty comforting for Team India. But they will have to be on high alert for how Sri Lanka has moulded them to secure the second-longest ODI winning streak of all time. 

The recent clash between arch-rivals saw India's bowlers asserting their dominance and the Indian top order responding effectively. However, India must remain vigilant about how Sri Lanka have adapted. By bundling the opposition out in all 13 encounters, they have shown signs of strength, but even bigger is the presence of the formidable trio of Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarwickrama.

Nissanka ranks second only to Shubman Gill in the list of top run-scorers among the world's top 10 ODI teams this year. Mendis boasts an impressive average of 43.3 in his last eight matches. Additionally, Samarwickrama has already amassed over 400 runs in 2023, compensating for Shanaka's dip in batting form. Unless India have a special plan devised for them, results could veer either way.

Who doubts KL now?

Frankly, including KL Rahul was always a matter of 'when' rather than 'why.' The Karnataka batter has demonstrated his impeccable skills as a middle-order batter over the past four years, and if fit, he was an automatic choice for the team. Rahul made a resounding return with a century, displaying no signs of rustiness.

On Monday, Rahul fulfilled his role and then some, taking up the wicketkeeping duties as well. If India decides to reintroduce Shreyas Iyer into the lineup later, it would come at the expense of Ishan Kishan. While this decision may be open to debate, there is no denying Rahul's indispensability to the Indian setup, and the team management will never risk that. Surely, they know it after his century.

What makes India value Rahul a lot in the middle-order is his ability to adapt to different match situations. Whenever wickets have fallen early, Rahul has consolidated the innings and has taken India to decent positions. On the other hand, whenever he has come to bat in the last 20 overs, he has scored at a very good strike rate and finished the innings on a high, although he has played just four innings since 2020.

Pitch and conditions

Indian batters milked the juice out of the Colombo pitch. All four batters crossed fifty runs, with a first innings total of 356. The way Virat Kohli and Rahul batted on Monday, there was nothing more any bowler could do. But the ball was seaming around under lights, helping Jasprit Bumrah massively. 

So much so that India didn’t bring in their spinner till the 18th over. But once Kuldeep was introduced, it was a one-way street, so we could expect some help for spinners on Tuesday as well. 

Tactical Insights

-> Kasun Rajitha has proven to be a valuable wicket-taking asset throughout all three phases of the game this year, consistently capturing five or more wickets in each phase.

->Once Kusal Mendis navigates the initial challenges during the powerplay, he transforms into a formidable threat to the opposition. His performance against spinners this year has been exceptional, boasting an impressive average of over 95. Additionally, during the middle overs, he maintains a solid average of over 77, coupled with a healthy strike rate of 93. So India would be wary of using either Jadeja or Kuldeep against him.

Probable XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka : Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana