3 things India need to do right to beat Sri Lanka in the 3rd T20I
India are 2-0 up in the three-match series against Sri Lanka, and both victories have been fairly comfortable ones. Heading into the third T20I in Pallekele on Tuesday, July 30, the Men in Blue will be confident of sweeping the hosts.
India have been experimental on the tactical front. Spinners have bowled at the death in both matches, and players have been deployed in roles that challenge them. Despite that, Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have overseen a blip-free start to their tenure.
So what can India do to get even better in the final game of the series? There are a few areas of improvement.
T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat Sri Lanka in the third T20I.
#3 India need to field their ideal batting order
Rishabh Pant has looked off-color for a while now, and it's worth asking whether No. 4 is his ideal position. In search of a left-right combination, India are fielding one of their better hitters of pace at a spot where he will struggle against spin.
As a result, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh have been batting too low and have barely faced any balls so far in the series. In the final T20I, India will need to ensure that they get some batting takeaways from the duo.
Pant dropping out of the XI and Sanju Samson being retained could be a welcome sight. Either way, irrespective of who is in the side, the batting order that has been chosen for the first two T20Is cannot continue.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav needs to rely on 12 overs of spin once again
The pitch in Pallekele has aided the spinners more than the pacers, with barely any new-ball movement on offer. In the second T20I, India used 12 overs of spin, with Axar Patel, Riyan Parag and Ravi Bishnoi bowling four each.
While the third T20I will be played on a fresh pitch, it is expected to have the same characteristics. Even in the 2024 Lanka Premier League, the spinners performed considerably better than the fast bowlers.
Rain could disrupt these plans, but Suryakumar needs to heavily rely on his slower bowlers once again. The Sri Lankan middle-order batters haven't been able to counter them effectively.
#1 India need to keep it tight and on a good length to the Sri Lankan top 3
At the same time, bowling spin to the Sri Lankan openers isn't a great idea. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis are both better against that style of bowling, and they capitalized on three overs of spin in the powerplay of the first T20I.
So where can India bowl to the top three of Nissanka, Mendis and Kusal Perera? They were off with both their lines and their lengths on Sunday, with Perera and Nissanka picking off anything that was either full or short. The only way to bowl to them on flat decks is to hit the top of off and prevent easy shot-making.
Mohammed Siraj, who has lacked rhythm so far in the series, is an excellent proponent of that length. So are Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed. India should look to keep it simple against the Sri Lankan top three and force them to manufacture their boundary attempts.