Sri Lanka will play host to India in Pallekele, starting Saturday, in the third and final test of the series. India have already won the series after comfortable victories in the first two matches. Sri Lanka will be playing for pride while Virat Kohli and his men will be looking for a clean sweep.
India have outplayed Sri Lanka in both the batting and bowling department. Sri Lankan cricket is going through a tough time at the moment. Sri Lanka used to be a tough team to beat in home conditions. The story is different this time around, after stars like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara called it quits.
With Ravi Shastri as new coach, India have looked even more aggressive, and the Indian players seem to have a spring in their stride.
With India's top order including Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli delivering the goods in the two Tests so far, Sri Lanka have been in the backfoot. It is not only about the runs they score but also their attacking nature, especially Dhawan's aggression, which is putting them in the backfoot early on.
The best thing about the current crop of Indian batsmen is someone or other always stand up to the task. Not only their batsmen, bowlers like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have run through the opponents batting line-up.
Sri Lanka will breathe a sigh of relief with Jadeja's suspension, but that will give Kuldeep Yadav a chance to shine, and the Chinaman can make life difficult for the Lankan batsmen.
As for Sri Lanka, Rangana Herath and Nuwan Pradeep, who has been one of their best bowlers, are out with injuries. Can they come all guns blazing? Can they even survive five days?
Sri Lanka should forget about their performance in the last two Tests, and concentrate on the third game and hope to beat confident-looking Indian side.
There is no doubt about the talent in the side. But they have not been able to deliver as a unit to outshine India. One or two players scoring and taking wickets will not do the job for Sri Lanka.
If Sri Lanka are to have a slight chance of even challenging India, they will need the likes of Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne to score big and pile pressure on India.
The task, though, might be difficult. Sri Lanka will have to believe in themselves and put up a fight to end the series on a high.
When and where to watch live
India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test is set to begin at 10am local time, 10am IST, 5.30am BST, 6.30am CET, 12.30am ET. TV and live streaming information is below.
India: TV: Sony Ten 3, Sony Ten 3 HD, Sony Six, Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
Sri Lanka and Indian sub-continent: TV: Sony Ten.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Online.
