3 things India need to do right to beat Sri Lanka in the 3rd ODI ft. the batting order
Gautam Gambhir faces an early challenge as India's head coach, with the team on the brink of losing their first ODI series under his tenure. The Men in Blue are currently trailing 1-0 in the three-match rubber, with the final ODI to be played on Wednesday, August 7.
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has produced a couple of exciting low-scoring games so far. The surface has turned heavily, bringing the spinners from both sides into play. In the second game, Jeffrey Vandersay ran through the visitors' middle order.
India have been heavily criticized for their tactical approach in the series so far, and it's safe to say that they need to turn up as better versions of themselves.
ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat Sri Lanka in the third ODI.
#3 India need to utilize more spin overs
Sri Lanka have used as many as five spinners in the series so far - Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, and Charith Asalanka. India, however, have only fielded Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel, two of whom haven't completed their respective 20-over quotas.
Heading into the final ODI, India need to fashion a few overs of spin from somewhere. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have chipped in with three, and they, particularly the former, need to take on more responsibility and bowl more. Bringing in Riyan Parag for Shivam Dube is also a wise choice that could yield rich dividends.
#2 The fast bowlers need to bowl more cutters
India's fast bowlers, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, have been a letdown in the series so far. They have picked up only six wickets between them and haven't been economical either.
One of the main reasons behind that has been their reluctance to veer away from their stock balls and bowl cutters instead. Despite the pitch being slowish and offering considerable turn, Siraj and Arshdeep have bowled pace-on deliveries that have been easy to counter.
India's pacers need to bowl more cutters in the third ODI, even if it's in the powerplay. There hasn't been much swing on offer, and resorting to different bowling plans early on might be the best way forward.
#1 India need to be sensible with their batting order
So far, an obsession with left-right combinations has been India using their frontline batters lower down the order. Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel have all earned promotions ahead of the likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
In the final ODI, India need to keep things simple. Using Shreyas and Rahul at their usual positions, irrespective of the state of the game in the middle overs, will be their best bet. The duo are quality batters who can counter all styles of bowling while getting the team through tough situations and need to be treated as such.