3 Player Battles to watch out for in India vs Sri Lanka ODIs ft. Virat Kohli vs Dunith Wellalage
India are set to take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo from August 2-7. The Men in Blue had a fantastic start to the tour, wrapping up the T20 series with a 3-0 whitewash of the hosts.
Big guns Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in action as India have just six ODIs to play before the Champions Trophy next year. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have been hit with a few injuries in their bowling department and will need some of their other regular bowlers to step up.
Let's take a look at the match-ups that could decide the fate of the series.
3 Player Battles to watch out for in India vs Sri Lanka ODIs
#3 Kusal Mendis vs Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj was the star of the show the last time India played an ODI in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka — the 2023 Asia Cup final. His sensational spell of 6/21 floored the hosts and he will be keen to deliver a hammer blow to the Lankans once again.
Kusal Mendis is one of the in-form batters for Sri Lanka and just like the T20I series, will need to step up and score a bulk of runs. However, he has a negative match-up against Siraj, especially in ODIs. The Indian pacer has conceded just nine runs in 29 balls bowled to Mendis and has dismissed the batter a staggering four times.
#2 Rohit Sharma vs Chamika Karunaratne
Indian captain Rohit Sharma will play his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup final. He was instrumental in the Men in Blue winning 10 games in a row on the way to the final, scoring 597 runs, the second-most in the tournament after Virat Kohli's 765. It will be interesting to see if Rohit continues with the ultra-attacking philosophy.
The veteran opener will need to be wary of a match-up that hasn't quite gone his way. Chamika Karunaratne has bowled 23 deliveries to Rohit in ODIs and has conceded just 17 runs, dismissing him twice. Sri Lanka might look to exploit this match-up by giving Karunaratne the new ball.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Dunith Wellalage
Sri Lanka's young left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage has great memories of facing India, as he had run through the top and middle-order during the Asia Cup Super Six game last year. One of the five wickets he had taken was that of star batter Virat Kohli.
Kohli will look to pile on runs against Sri Lanka in what is generally considered his best format. He has made changes to his game against left-arm spin, especially bringing out the slog sweep multiple times in the IPL this year. It will be interesting to see how he sets up against Wellalage and whether the youngster can get the better of the veteran once again.