Sri Lanka VS India, 3rd T20I

Jadeja(45) and Iyer(74) proved to be too much for Sri Lanka in the end. © AFP

The Picture

For the first time in the last couple of games, India looked in a spot of bother, as Sri Lanka mitigated a slow start by later pouncing on the Indian bowlers and plundering as much as 112 runs in the last 10 . Pathum Nissanka's 75 of 53 balls and Dasun Shanaka's 47 of just 19 balls took them to a score of 183 which looked above par and considering there was movement off the pitch as well. Nissanka after being less than a run a ball in the early part of his innings after some initial struggles tore into the Indian bowlers finding the gaps at will while Dasun Shanaka came in the fag end of the innings and thumped the Indian's at the death, with Harshal Patel in particular going for 23 runs in his final over to go with the 52 runs he conceded in the entire match while picking a solitary wicket. After the break Sri Lanka started well with Chameera and Kumara getting the ball to talk with their pace and movement of the surface and they got both Rohit and Ishan early. They troubled the Indian batsmen and it wasn't until Iyer settled down once the spinners came on that India wrested back some momentum. And with Sanju swatting Kumara and Jadeja spanking Chameera, the hosts galloped to victory with 17 balls to spare after at one stage requiring as much as 128 of 72 balls with both the  quicks breathing fire.

The Sri Lankan team seems to have improved by leaps and bounds and that too after the loss of their strategically important players right before this series. After their performance in Australia and being brushed aside in Lucknow, much wasn't expected of them, but they put up a fight in Dharamsala and if a few things went their way, then the result could have been different. With this win, India has got their 11th consecutive win one less of the record for most consecutive victories. India have been good overall, but on Saturday they were posed with some hard questions by the visitors and will want to set things right and prove to everyone that their struggles in phases were a one off. Players like Harshal Patel and Kishan will look to bounce back strongly, especially the former who has had a easy initiation into the side and has had things going his way. A strong performance here and that would show how indispensable he is to this team and warrants a place in India's full strength eleven. Albeit the last game didn't go down to the wire, we have seen glimpses of what the Lankans can do and they will hope to take that momentum as they go into the tests. India will want to correct their previous mistakes and will look to close this series with another win and inflict yet another series whitewash on a different opposition.

When:  7 February 2022, Sunday

Time:   7:00 P.M (IST)

Where: HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala

Team News

Sri Lanka

The hosts might do some tactical changes and might slot in Niroshan Dickwella in place of Dinesh Chandimal and Jeffrey Vandersay might also get a look in.

Probable XI: Dhanusha Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kamil Mishara/ Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella/ Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay/ Praveen Jayawickrama, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara

India

Ishan Kishan copped a blow on his helmet and is ruled out for the third game and Mayank Agarwal should likely come into the team. With the series in the bag, the hosts will look to give the likes of Avesh and Bishnoi a go.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Avesh Khan/ Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal/ Ravi Bishnoi

Pitch and Playing Conditions

Like the last game, The seamers are expected to get some movement with the new ball and a couple of slips would be handy in the first few overs. Another high scoring match is on the cards. The outfield is also quick and that should delight the batsmen further.

Interesting Facts

• Chameera has picked Rohit 5 times in 8 innings in T20I's making him the first bowler to pick a particular batsman 5 or more times in this format.

*Preview has been updated after Ishan Kishan has been ruled out.