3 things Sri Lanka need to do right to beat India in ODI series
Following the culmination of the T20I series, India and Sri Lanka move to the second leg of the tour, which comprises three ODIs. All matches will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Sri Lanka had lost the ODI series by a 1-2 margin the last time they faced India on home soil. The sole win in the 2021 bilateral series marks their last triumph over the Men in Blue as they have lost six consecutive matches since then.
To make matters worse, some of the defeats in the ongoing streak are arguably the worst performances in Sri Lankan cricket. The Island nation lost by 317 runs in the 2023 bilateral series, and by 302 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup league stage. They were even bundled out for 50 runs in the 2023 Asia Cup final.
Toppling the dominant Indian side would be a tall ask, but the T20I series has shown that Sri Lanka are not afraid to take the game head-on. On that note, let us take a look at three things Sri Lanka need to do right to beat India in the upcoming ODI series.
#1 Turn to spinners amid injury crisis
A crippled pace attack leaves Sri Lanka to overly rely on their spinners to make something out of the series. In their previous meeting against India during the 2023 Asia Cup, it was the unlikely spin pair of Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka who handed India a massive scare.
It is certainly easier said than done because of how well the Indian batting unit plays against spin. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul's matchup in the middle overs against the spinners will be crucial.
Sri Lanka can possibly play three bonafide spinners in Hasaranga, Theekshana, and Wellalage, while skipper Asalanka can also roll his arm over. The biggest advantage of Sri Lanka's spin attack is their versatility, given how different the trio are from one other. As a result, there is no overwhelming favorable matchup that India can use against them.
#2 Middle order must make most of the time to avoid another debacle
The frequent middle-order collapses were potentially the sole reason why Sri Lanka suffered a clean sweep in the T20I series. The batters following the top order batters could not make most of the platform laid down.
The batters were often under the pressure of matching the high-scoring tempo right away and perished in the attempt to do so. However, in the 50-over format, the middle-order will have time to gauge the conditions, take their time, and settle down and construct an innings.
If the middle-order manages to survive the Indian spin onslaught in the middle overs and manage to keep wickets in hand, then they can hope for a flourish in the final phase of the innings.
#3 Hold onto momentum for as long as possible
There were moments in the T20I series where Sri Lanka had the momentum and the upper hand, but they just could not ride the wave for long enough to convert into a favorable result.
Although Sri Lanka are second-best in terms of skill and temperament when compared to the world-class Indian side, there will be phases throughout the series where the latter will be under at least some sort of pressure.
During such moments, Sri Lanka need to exert more pressure by being aggressive and making it difficult for India to be stable again. If they do enough of that at key moments, then the series will not be a cakewalk for the visitors. Early wickets must mean something, otherwise, it proves to be a futile venture when the remaining batters rebuild the innings without any resistance. Sri Lanka should try to make life difficult for the Indian side with both bat and ball.