Cricket Has Changed. And it has changed drastically over the years. But has it changed too much for its liking?
A player who scored 200 in his last ODI game might not find a place in the playing XI. Yes, 200 and that too in an ODI and still dropped in the next game.
Isn’t it way too harsh?
No matter what the pecking order is and how things are shaping up unless the other player has scored a 300, the player who scored 200 shouldn’t be dropped, should he?
Imagine the plight of Ishan Kishan on hearing Rohit choosing Gill over Kishan.
But like we said, cricket has changed and it has changed a lot over the years. Surya Kumar Yadav who is arguably one of the best players on the planet at the moment and that too at the peak of his career might not find a game.
Some decisions have defied logic.
And maybe that’s why India has not won an ICC trophy since 2013.
The big boys – Rohit, Kohli and Rahul are back. They will have a lot to prove themselves. And considering how the youngsters have to sit back despite doing so well, there will be a lot of media attention and problems for the big superstars if they don’t contribute well.
On the cricketing front, India are clear favourites to win this game with the firepower and the home conditions at their disposal. But this young Sri Lankan side has that ‘don’t give up’ attitude about them and they cannot be taken lightly.
So this should be an epic T20 series with some of the biggest players coming back into the mix. Who do you think is winning this one?
India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI Pitch Report
The Barsapara cricket stadium is one of the better batting grounds in the country. This venue has seen a lot of high-scoring affairs in the past. The pitches here are quite batting friendly and they do not have much for the bowlers. What’s even more dangerous from the bowler’s point of view is that they need to be on their game because the dew might also kick in early.
So when you factor in the batting order of both sides and how they have been playing combined with the nature of the pitch and the dew coming in early, expect the captain to win the toss to chase. But team India have taken up difficult tasks willingly and maybe they might be tempted to do so again considering they are in India and the world cup will take place here.
India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI Probable Playing XI
India’s Probable Playing XI
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka’s Probable Playing XI
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Mahesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay
