Sri Lanka looked second best in the recently concluded Test series against India, where Virat Kohli and his men won 3-0. The home team have announced their ODI squad, which will be led by Upul Tharanga, and Sri Lanka will hope to come up with a better performance and end India's dominance in the format.
The island nation will hope to play some good cricket and challenge India, who have been one of the best teams in all formats. India recently reached the finals of the Champions Trophy and beat West Indies in the ODI series.
Sri Lanka have made some changes to their team, bringing in all-rounders Thisara Perera and Milinda Siriwardana for the five-match ODI series, with the first game scheduled on Sunday. Two spinners, Malinda Pushpakumara and Vishwa Fernando, who made their Test debuts this month, have also found a place in the ODI squad.
Experienced bowler Nuwan Kulasekara is not a part of the team for the series, which might be surprising.
After the poor Test series, Tharanga understands that the team is undergoing a rough patch, and there is a serious need to forget what happened in the recent past, and play better cricket in the limited overs series.
"Every team goes through a rough patch. This is something that happens in cycles to every team and every nation no matter how great a cricketing nation they are. The support of our fans plays a big role in lifting the morale of the team," Indian Express quoted Tharanga as saying.
There is no doubt about the talent that exists within the team. One can never doubt their ability, especially with players such as Tharanga, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera and Lasith Malinga.
One hopes that the players, who have been brought into the ODI side will bring some positive vibes in the dressing room, and look to play good cricket to beat India. Despite resting some of their key bowlers, India will start the ODI series as favourites, while Sri Lanka will look to make amends for their Test series loss, which will make it interesting.
Sri Lanka squad
Upul Tharanga (c), Niroshan Dickwella (w), Milinda Siriwardana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Akila Dananjaya, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando
