India and Sri Lanka, the two finalists from the Asia Cup, will go at it again on 2 November 2023 at Wankhede. Can Sri Lanka avenge their defeat in the Asia Cup final, or will India continue their unbeaten streak in this World Cup so far? There are many exciting things to look forward to in this match. And you can follow them in this article. So what are you waiting for? Hit the notification button and get daily news and updates from us.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023
Live streaming
This is an important match for Sri Lanka. This is one of the few chances they have left to redeem themselves in this World Cup. They will meet an Indian side that may lower their guard, thinking that the stakes aren’t that high in this match.
Read: 2023 Cricket World Cup Teams List – UPDATED
Conversely, India will try to keep their unbeaten streak so far and score 2 more points to remain at the top of the points table. And you can follow all of this drama live from your laptops or cellphones. All you have to do is know where to watch these matches live. And you can do that by reading our article on it.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming
Match preview
Pitch report
Wankhede has always been a high-scoring surface. Batters leak runs here, while it is a menace for the bowlers. Especially in the second innings, you do not want to be on the bowling side. There is a lot of humidity and dew in the evening. Temperatures are high. The weather will be clear. Hence, the side winning the side should choose to bowl first. Get done with your bowling while the ball is nice and dry. You will hate it once it starts getting wet in the evening.
Possible playing 11
India will go unchanged. They lost Hardik Pandya. However, their bench is strong enough to make up for that.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Predictions
Indian probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
On the other hand, Sri Lanka may have some changes in the squad. But I will be sceptical of that. Their spinners are not performing. This is the best possible squad that they can assemble for now.
Sri Lanka’s probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka.
Key Players
In the Indian camp, Virat, Rohit, Bumrah, and Siraj seem to be their best players. However, for this match, Rohit and Virat are the key players. But I feel gut that Gill will hit big in this match. Hence, the Lankan bowlers have to get this prince of IPL out earlier. Otherwise, he will score big. Rohit is playing on his home turf, so there is no way he will not score.
Check: India Squad for ICC World Cup 2023 [Announced]
From the Lankan dugout, the batters have a considerable role to play. They have to score runs. Otherwise, there is no way they can have a fighting chance. Kusal Mendis has to step up and score quick runs in this match. It is time he retook charge of the batting.
Read: Sri Lanka Squad for World Cup 2023
India’s unbeaten streak
India is having the time of its life in this tournament. They are playing this World Cup in their backyard, and there is no way they are losing a match. So far, they have won all their games. They still have to face bigger sides like New Zealand and South Africa. And those matches will be interesting to see. It will get tough for India to win against those teams and keep this streak going. However, they have the potential to go unbeaten in this tournament as well. You never know.
Sri Lanka’s crests and troughs
Sri Lanka had an on-and-off tournament this year. They had to play a qualifier and entered the tournament unbeaten. They even beat the then-number one team, Pakistan, to enter the finals of the Asia Cup 2023. However, the World Cup is a different ball game. Their game against Pakistan went close. But Rizwan and Saud were quick to show them that they mean business. The Lankans have managed to win only two games so far. And things will likely remain the same.
Predictions
India will keep its winning streak after this game. If anything other than that happens, it will be a huge upset. No disrespect to the Lankan fans here, but it is what it is. The Indian team has been perfect so far. Batting or bowling, they have checked all the boxes. India may have some misfields and dropped catches here and there, but they are smart enough not to let that affect the results. But for how long?
Highlights
Sri Lanka won the toss, and they chose to bowl first. They are playing by the book so far. You don’t want to bowl when there is dew.
| INDIA | SRI LANKA |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | Pathum Nissanka |
| Shubhman Gill | Dimuth Karunaratne |
| Virat Kohli | Kusal Mendis |
| Sheryas Iyer | Sadeera Samarawikrama |
| KL Rahul | Charith Asalanka |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Angelo Mathews |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Dushan Hemantha |
| Mohammad Shami | Dushmantha Chameera |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Maheesh Theekshana |
| Mohammad Siraj | Kasun Rajitha |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Dilshan Madushanka |
First Innings – India
| INDIA 357-8 (50 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Shubman Gill 92 (92) | Dilshan Madushanka 5-80 |
| Virat Kohli 88 (94) | Dushmantha Chameera 1-71 |
| Shreyas Iyer 82 (56) | Maheesh Theekshana 0-67 |
| TARGET | 358 runs in 50 overs |
- Rohit was unable to participate. But the remainder of the weaponry showed up. Kohli and Gill both dropped their tons. Shreyas felt the same way.
- However, they scored well in most periods to guarantee they broke the 350 barrier. India scored 93 runs in the last ten overs, with Jadeja scoring some crucial runs down the order.
- Slower bowlers were popular in the death, and if there were less dew, Indian bowlers would strive to emulate them.
- Indian hitters Kohli and Gill set the tone and appeared on track for double hundreds. Both were snuffed out by Madushanka, who finished with a fifer.
- The pitch is ideal for batting. The slower ones are gripping, but I believe it will be good with lights. 357 is a large number to track down. Indian bowlers are in great shape.
Second Innings – Sri Lanka
| SRI LANKA 55-10 (19.4 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Kasun Rajitha 14 (17) | Mohammed Shami 5-18 |
| Maheesh Theekshana 12 (23) | Mohammed Siraj 3-16 |
| Angelo Mathews 12 (25) | Jasprit Bumrah 1-8 |
| RESULT | India won by 302 runs |
- The ball danced, and Bumrah got Nissanka LBW on the opening ball. It was then 3/4, 14/6, 22/7, 29/8, and ultimately 55.
- At the moment, Sri Lanka must despise the sight of India.
- Kusal Mendis must be wondering now that bowling first was a mistake. Under the lights at the Wankhede, the ball does something, and India has two monsters with the ball in Bumrah.
- Shami took a fifer – his third overall in World Cups and second in this tournament after Siraj and Bumrah had done their damage.
- Rajitha and Theekshana pushed themselves to 14 and 12 when the ball stopped moving. But the game had already passed them by.
Man of the match
Shami took the third 5-fer in the tournament’s history. And this was his 2nd in this tournament. At this point, Shami is a cheat code for India in the World Cups. What a bowler he is when the ball starts to talk. Sri Lanka had no answers for his seaming and swinging deliveries.