India will take on Sri Lanka in the final of the Celkon Mobile Cup Tri-series 2013. The match will be played at Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain on Thursday.
Overview:
Both the teams come into the contest after winning two games each. Sri Lanka beat India in their first encounter and the latter beat the former in the second match this series.
India are on top of the table with 10 points after winning two games with bonus points. They beat Sri Lanka in the previous deciding game by 81 runs (D/L method) in the match that was reduced to 29 overs due to rains. The Champions Trophy winners will be keen to win the series ahead of the tour of Zimbabwe later this month.
Sri Lanka qualified for the final on net run rate advantage over hosts West Indies. They have nine points on the table after winning two games and losing one out of three games played. They beat India by 161 runs before conceding defeat by 81 runs in the previous game. They will be keen to take revenge for the defeat and win the Tri-series.
Previous Meetings:
India have 77-53 win-loss record against Sri Lanka in 142 ODI meetings which include one tie and 11 no-results. They won one game each in their two meetings this series.
Team News:
India: Top order - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are in good form. They helped the team beat West Indies before putting up a spirited show in the rain-affected crucial match against Sri Lanka. They will be expected to give a good start in the final. Return of skipper MS Dhoni, who missed last two matches due to an injury, will boost the confidence of the tean. Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja are also capable of scoring big.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar ripped through Sri Lankans batting line-up in the previous game by taking four wickets. Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja too contributed by taking two wickets apiece while Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin took a wicket each. They bowled out the opponents in the 25th over.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have come out with big knocks in the series but their inconsistency is a worry. They should score big if they are to win the Tri-series. Their middle order - Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews - will be expected to perform with their bats.
Rangana Herath and skipper Angelo Mathews were only wicket takers in the previous game with Shaminda Eranga, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Lokuhettige and Ajantha Mendis failed to take any wicket. They have to put in their acts together and restrict the strong Indian batting line-up in the final.
Prediction:
Sri Lanka had beaten India with a huge margins in one of their encounters this series but considering the overall performance of the finalists, India have slight advantage to win the Tri-series.
Squads:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shami Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, R Vinay Kumar.
Sri Lankan: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-captain), Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis.
Where to Watch Live:
The game will begin at 07:00 PM IST (Thursday, 11 July) and it will be broadcast live in India on Ten Sports, Ten Cricket and Ten HD.
