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Sri Lanka vs India 2017: India's probable playing XI for one-off T20I

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma bounced back to form in the ODI series

India's tour of Sri Lanka has been a joy for the Indian fans as the Men in Blue have dominated the hosts throughout the tournament.

They won the Test series 3-0 and followed it up with a 5-0 win in the ODI series. Apart from a few moments in which Sri Lanka actually put up a fight, the series belonged to Team India who broke several world records in the process of securing a whitewash.

After two consecutive clean sweeps, both the teams will meet for the only T20 encounter at the R. Premadasa Stadium tomorrow.

India will aim at returning home with an unblemished record whereas Sri Lanka will try to redeem themselves and end the series on a high. This will be their final chance to put up a fight.

As India gear up for the final battle, here is the predicted XI:

Top-order

India's top order boasts of one of the most reliable openers in world cricket. Although Rohit Sharma's presence at one end is certain, his partner is yet to be decided.

In the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli is likely to promote himself to the second opener's position and execute an effective partnership with Sharma for the first wicket. The reason being Ajinkya Rahane's failure in the fifth ODI.

Rahane was dismissed for five runs in 17 balls. Since this is the only T20 encounter between the two teams, India might not be in favour of experimenting with the side.

Moreover, Kohli's current form bodes well for Team India.

The captain scored his 30th ODI century in the last match, moving to second place on the list of highest number of ODI centuries, only behind Sachin Tendulkar.

In the fourth ODI, both Sharma and Kohli scored centuries and put up a brilliant partnership after the fall of the first wicket. They will look to give India a strong start in the final match of the series.

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