This is one match that apparently should be the least concern for this Indian team. Home-team heroes flying high on the back of six successive wins should be ultra-confident against a Sri Lankan team which has won two out of six. On paper, this is not quite befitting of a contest between two World Cup finalists at the same venue in Mumbai back in 2011.
That Sri Lankan team had legends in its ranks. Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, for example. The problem for the beleaguered islanders is that they have not produced that kind of talent in the last few years. India have seen the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma blossom into towering figures. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami… there are more.
So what can India expect to extract out of this game? What can they work on and sort out so that the problems, whatever they may be, are addressed ahead of the bigger games? The form of Shreyas Iyer is one. The reluctance to have Ravichandran Ashwin in the XI is another. It has been smooth sailing for the collective unit, but there are issues look at nonetheless.
What is this problem that Iyer has against short-pitched deliveries? Why does he get out so often playing forcing shots against those? He is a batter of fantastic potential. Pace or spin, on different kinds of surfaces, at least at the domestic level, he has proved his credentials. Iyer is no doubt one of India’s brightest batting talents.
But, he has some sort of compulsion to play that aggressive shot against the short ball. He does not get into a position to leave them. A batter aspiring to do well against top-class attacks ought to solve this. Develop a technique to not play that shot. If it’s a compulsive reaction, then change that. Sri Lanka have fast bowlers who will target this. They know how to bowl that ball, regardless of the position of their team on the points table.
And now to Ashwin. The reason is not very obvious why he has been benched all this while, but he should be back at some point in this competition. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, when India cannot field a sixth bowler, wicket-taking options will be needed. Ashwin is one. Whether he will be back at Wankhede Stadium or somewhere else, or is not seen again.
Time and Venue Details
November 2. From 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai.
Expected Conditions
A good pitch to bat on and score runs, lots of them. The relatively small ground will help batters.
Possible XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj/Ravichandran Ashwin.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c, wk) Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha/Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka.
Match-ups
Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers vs Shreyas Iyer: The poster boy in waiting has not exactly fired. He has repeatedly shown a problem against the short-pitched ball. The Sri Lankan bowlers will know this.