3 team changes to expect in India-Sri Lanka 2nd ODI
Team India and Sri Lanka will battle each other in the crucial second ODI of the three-match series in Colombo on August 4. With the opener ending in a thrilling tie, the winner of today's contest will have one hand on the trophy.
For Sri Lanka, series victories against India have been few and far between, with their last bilateral series win against India coming in 1997. The Men in Blue had also defeated the Lankans in six consecutive ODIs before the tied outing in the series opener.
The result of that encounter was unexpected by most fans and experts, especially when Sri Lanka were reeling at 101/5 in the 27th over. Yet, terrific lower-order resistance and a disciplined bowling and fielding performance provided the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
India will certainly have woken up from the stinging defeat when they could not get a lone run with two wickets in hand and look to right the wrong. The first ODI also saw a few head-scratching selection moves and both teams could be expected to make some forced and unforced changes to their playing XI.
On that note, with the start of play minutes away, let us look at three changes we can expect from both teams for the second ODI
#1 Jeffrey Vandersay for Wanindu Hasaranga
![A forced change will see Hasaranga miss the crucial second ODI [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/a55cb-17227570508809-1920.jpg?w=500)
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Sri Lanka will be forced to change their playing XI from the first ODI with ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga suffering a left hamstring injury at the end of his bowling spell.
Hasaranga was a massive reason for Sri Lanka's comeback win in the opening encounter, scoring an invaluable 35-ball 24 and picking up three wickets. His scalps included Team India's batting lynchpins, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul as he finished with excellent figures of 3/58 in 10 overs.
With Hasaranga out for the remainder of the ODI series, Sri Lanka brought in another leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay as his replacement. And to no one's surprise, Vandersay should slot straight into the 11 for this all-important second ODI as the primary leg-spinner.
The 34-year-old boasts an outstanding ODI record in Sri Lanka, with 16 wickets at an average of 19.37 and an economy of 4.83 in nine outings. However, his lone ODI against India was a forgettable affair as Vandersay conceded 59 runs off his seven overs in the final game of a three-match series in India early last year.
Nevertheless, Vandersay should take his rightful place as Hasaranga's replacement in the Sri Lankan playing XI.
#2 Chamika Karunaratne for Mohamed Shiraz
![Sri Lanka might bump up their batting depth with Karunaratne's inclusion [ Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/5a078-17227572482540-1920.jpg)
It is no mean feat for Sri Lanka to compensate for the loss of spin-bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for the second ODI. While Jeffrey Vandersay might be able to replicate Hasaranga in the bowling, a longish tail might reveal its ugly end during the contest.
Having Akila Dananjaya move up a spot to No. 8 might expose the long Sri Lankan tail and one cannot discount how important lower-order runs may be on the potentially low-scoring Colombo track.
Sri Lanka will likely counter this by bringing in seam-bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne for pacer Mohamed Shiraz. While dropping the latter a game after his national debut might be harsh, his lack of batting ability and a relatively poor display in the opener with figures of 0/25 in four overs may spell doom.
Considering the spin-friendly nature of the Colombo track, Karunaratne should be more than capable of filling in Shiraz's bowling shoes with his medium pace while adding depth to the batting.
Furthermore, Karunaratne boasts an impressive overall ODI record with 24 wickets at an average of under 32 and a batting average of over 25 in 26 outings.
#3 Riyan Parag for Shivam Dube
![Dube might miss out despite an impressive all-round showing in the opening ODI [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/9eafe-17227574393106-1920.jpg)
Coming to the Indian side of things, the management might want to add more spin-bowling options to their lineup without compromising on the batting, considering what they witnessed from the Colombo track in the opening ODI.
Despite playing three specialist spinners in the opener, adding another in the form of Riyan Parag should serve them well, especially seeing how a fourth spinner in Charith Asalanka came in handy for the home team. Unfortunately, Shivam Dube might have to miss out on the playing XI in a strictly horses-for-courses move.
Dube was among the few shining lights for India in the first ODI, with figures of 1/19 in four overs and a 24-ball 25. Yet, India's desperation for another spinner was visible when they tried Shubman Gill's part-time option for a lone over that went for 14 runs.
Including Parag for Dube will ensure India loses nothing with the bat while possessing a reliable fourth-spinner option. The 22-year-old played the three T20Is before the ODIs and got the ball to turn massively whenever he was given the ball.
His incredible 3/5 in the opening T20I helped India shut down the Lankan run-chase and he conceded runs at under 6.70 per over in three T20Is.
Should India feel the loss of the lone left-hander in their top six (Dube) crucial, they could also ponder bringing in Rishabh Pant for one of KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer even if that seems unlikely.