Cricket Betting: India vs Sri Lanka ODI Series Preview
India playing Sri Lanka is like a soap opera that runs, re-runs and then runs again! The latest episode in this drama will be the three-match ODI series starting with the first match at Dharamsala on Sunday, December 10.
The hosts will be without regular captain Virat Kohli who has been rested keeping in mind the hectic season ahead. Rohit Sharma gets a chance to lead the team in his stead and couldn’t have asked for a better start to his career as a skipper!
Sri Lanka too have a new captain at the helm with all-rounder Thisara Perera given the mantle of leading them out of the abyss. With a flurry of limited-over specialists forming the crux of their side, Thisara will hope for a quick turnaround of fortunes!
Can the juggernaut continue to roll?
India have a very impressive record against Sri Lanka winning 11 of their last 13 matches at home (W11, L1) with one no-result. In the last 11 ODIs too, India have ten victories (W10, L1) over their neighbours.
On paper, it looks an easy assignment for Rohit, but the format shows no mercy to records. With no Kohli in the side, the onus of scoring runs (in tons!) falls on the openers – Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit. An interesting footnote of the series is how Ajinkya Rahane would be used by the hosts as he bids to recover his lost form – albeit in a different format!
No hopes = surprising results?
Sri Lanka have lost 34 out of the 48 ODIs (71%) they played against India in India. To say that they start the series with practically no hopes is probably understating the obvious!
However, the return of key ODI specialists Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne promises to add balance to Thisara’s side. The form of Dhananjaya de Silva in Delhi augurs well for them although it remains to be seen if it is a false ray of hope! Nuwan Pradeep comes back to lead the bowling and on paper at least, the visitors look evenly matched with their illustrious hosts!
Key players
All eyes will be on Rahane as he tries to turn around his poor Test form. Kohli’s absence should give him a consistent run in the top-order and runs from his bat will ease the worries for Rohit.
Built in the mould of Sanath Jayasuriya, Kusal plays in the same manner with a single-minded determination of demolishing attacks. Having missed all the action (and the defeats) since the Champions Trophy, the diminutive opener will be the flavour for the visitors.
Picks
This series may not witness a whitewash purely because Lankan-tormentor Kohli is out of it. Back India to still win the series, probably with a margin of 2-1, at odds of $2.62 (CrownBet).
TIP: India to win 2-1 – $2.62 at CrownBet
Rohit loves to lead from the front, as was seen from IPL. Can he replicate that success to his national team? Back him to be India’s top batsman at odds of $3.25 (bet365).
TIP: Rohit Sharma top Indian runscorer (series) – $3.25 at bet365
