After a thrilling T20I series between India and Sri Lanka, the focus now shifts to the ODI series. The first ODI will be played in Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium on Tuesday. Both teams would want to bring their A-game in this series as well.
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There will be a lot of changes in the Indian team as senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami will be back. Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj will be there to strengthen the bowling of the side. After losing the ODI series in Bangladesh last month, the hosts would want to make immediate amends.
The Sri Lankan ODI squad is almost identical to their T20I side as a total of 20 players were named for this white-ball tour. Dasun Shanaka has led from the front, and the pacers have also shown their potential in the T20Is. If the spinners can trouble the Indian batters like their Bangladeshi counterparts recently, this team has the ability to stun any opposition.
Guwahati Cricket Stadium pitch report
Barsapara Cricket Stadium is set to host its second international match within a span of just three months. In October last year, India and South Africa faced each other here in a T20I match. This ground has just hosted a single ODI so far, and, this will be the second ODI in the city.
The sample size of this ground is quite small, but it is safe to say that this ground has been dominated by batters. India and West Indies played an ODI here in 2018, where India easily chased the target of 323 runs. The last T20I between India and South Africa was also a run-scoring fest, where both sides scored above 200 runs.
This ground has been a belter for the batters, and the same can be expected in this match as well. The ground dimensions are also very small, and the outfield is fast as well. The spinners may come into play as the match goes on. With all being said, a high-scoring match is expected and the captains may opt to chase upon winning the toss.
