Deadline: July 6, 2019 at 3 PM IST
Venue: Headingley, Leeds
Pitch and conditions
As many as 599 runs were scored in the last match at Headingley. More importantly, the pitch did not slow down in the second innings. Expect runs to come thick and fast on Saturday.
Probable XI for India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja/Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal
India have already qualified for the semi-finals and are likely to rest their premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah tomorrow. Ravindra Jadeja, who has been the 12th man, will get a nod. It’s good news for the fantasy players. The points he grabs for his spectacular catches won’t go waste. Jokes apart, Jadeja was the highest wicket-taker in the 2013 Champions Trophy. You may not want to leave him out of your fantasy team.
After their win against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli said that it was a risk playing with only 5 bowlers. Kedar Jadhav will make his way back to the playing XI but at the expense of whom?
Probable XI for Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Kasun Rajitha
Sri Lanka won’t change their winning combination.
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Head-to-head in World Cup
The last time India and Sri Lanka met in a World Cup was at Wankhede, in 2011. Yes, that match. “Dhoni finishes off in style. India win,” yelled Ravi Shastri in the commentary box. Kumar Sangakkara, behind the stumps, sported a smile as Yuvraj Singh hugged MS Dhoni.
A lot has changed for India since then. Shastri will be at Headingley tomorrow but in India’s dressing room coaching the men in blue. Sachin Tendulkar too will be present but in the commentary box. Dhoni isn’t the captain but he anyway calls the shots. Kohli has taken his game to a level that is beyond our comprehension.
But Malinga hasn’t changed. He was Sri Lanka’s key bowler then and is still their key bowler, taking wickets in heaps with that sling shot action.
Power players
There are many records for Rohit Sharma to break. He has equalled Kumar Sangakkara’s achievement for most centuries (4) in a World Cup edition. He needs 130 runs more to surpass Sachin Tendulkar (674 runs) and become the highest run scorer in an edition. Given the fact that two of his three double-hundreds have come against Sri Lanka, we might see him go all guns blazing.
If there is a player who comes close to Rohit’s panache, it is Avishka Fernando. He did what Sri Lanka’s experienced batsmen could not in the World Cup. His hundred against West Indies set up an emphatic victory for them. He will catch more attention if he emulates a similar performance against India.
Hardik Pandya’s performances with the ball haven’t been enough highlighted. He has dismissed Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Sunil Ambris, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan. All these wickets have come in short bursts, gradually changing the course of the match and making matters easy for Shami, Bumrah, and Bhuvi.
As always is the case, Lasith Malinga has taken the bulk of the wickets. He has trapped 12 batsmen in maze at an impressive average of 24.2.
Also, get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket