2023 World Cup: Predicting 3 players who could score the most runs in today’s India vs Sri Lanka match ft. Virat Kohli
The 33rd match of the ICC ODI World Cup will see Team India go up against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. A win today will seal a semi-final berth for the Men in Blue.
India have been on a roll in the competition, winning all six of their games so far. They are second in the standings behind South Africa, who have 12 points from seven matches.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have had a start-stop campaign so far. They beat the Netherlands and England but have gone down in their remaining four games. The Lankans will have to win all their remaining matches to allow themselves to finish inside the top four.
Although Kusal Mendis and company have struggled in this tournament, Sri Lanka have made India work hard in their previous World Cup meetings. Both teams have won four games each in nine meetings in ODI World Cups, while the other fixture ended in a no result.
Thus, another exciting game could be expected, with plenty of runs on offer at the Wankhede Stadium. On that note, let's take a look at three players who could score the most runs in today's India vs Sri Lanka clash.
#1 Rohit Sharma
The Team India skipper will return to his home ground in Maharashtra for the game against Sri Lanka. Given that Rohit Sharma has grown up playing here, he knows the wicket inside out. Besides, he also represents the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which is why he has the maximum probability of scoring big on Thursday.
Moreover, the right-handed batter has been in blazing-hot form in this World Cup. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in the competition with 398 runs in six matches at an average of 66.33.
Rohit showed great character against England in the last match on a difficult wicket, scoring 87 runs to help the team post 229/9. The knock will be a massive confidence booster for the senior batter who will look to keep the momentum going.
#2 Sadeera Samarawickrama
The right-handed batter has been one of the biggest positives for Sri Lanka in what has otherwise been a difficult campaign for them. Sadeera Samarawickrama has accumulated 331 runs in six matches at an average of 82.75 and a strike rate of almost 105.
Samarawickrama has applied himself well on Indian wickets. However, his real challenge awaits against India's world-class bowling attack.
If he manages to navigate well against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav, expect him to play a big innings in Mumbai.
#3 Virat Kohli
Star batter Virat Kohli had a rare failure against England last Sunday, bagging a nine-ball duck. He looked out of his zone, trying to play a rash shot after failing to find gaps in the first eight deliveries.
However, barring the game against England, Kohli has been a treat to watch. He has scored three half-centuries and a hundred in six outings so far, aggregating 354 runs at an average of 88.50.
Kohli has also enjoyed a decent run at Wankhede so far, averaging almost 55 in six matches, including a hundred. A batter of Kohli's stature will be desperate to bounce back and score big against Sri Lanka.