Team India are eyeing a seventh successive win after they tackle 1996 World Cup champions Sri Lanka in match no. 33 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. India are the one crew with an unbeaten report within the World Cup 2023 up to now, having gained six matches on the trot however have slipped to second spot on the Points Table on Wednesday with South Africa rising to the highest after their dominant 190 runs win over New Zealand in Pune.
Rohit Sharma’s facet will probably be lacking the companies of all-rounder Hardik Pandya as soon as once more, who had twisted his ankle within the conflict in opposition to Bangladesh in Pune final month and has been out of motion since then.
“His procedure after the injury is very positive. Whatever procedure he had to undergo after the injury, and the NCA, there were a lot of positive things. Right now, he is not available for tomorrow’s match. But it is an injury that we have to see every day how much percent he has improved, how much recovery has been made, how much bowling has been done, how much batting has been done. So, on a day-to-day basis, we would like to take a call. Because we are watching for the World Cup, so obviously, the matches are taking place every 3 – 4 days. We are watching the situation daily. So, it’s possible, as he is progressing, it’s possible, hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see him as soon as possible. That’s all I can say for now,” Indian captain Rohit Sharma stated within the pre-match press convention on Wednesday.
With Pandya out, India have been served effectively with the return of Mohammad Shami instead of Shardul Thakur. Shami has picked up 9 wickets within the final two video games however Mohammed Siraj has been struggling for type up to now.
It will probably be attention-grabbing to see if India choose to play Ravichandran Ashwin to bolster their batting instead of Siraj, who had picked up six wickets within the Asia Cup 2023 last in opposition to Sri Lanka just lately.
“All sorts of combination is possible. You can still play with three spinners and two seamers if need be. I think in this tournament, in this World Cup, you’ve seen spinners actually are the ones who are stopping that run flow in the middle overs. I am keeping my options open whether we have Hardik or not at this point in time to play three spinners or not. If the situation demands for us to play three spinners, we will play three spinners. Because I feel spinners actually with a lot of skill set can put a break on the scoring rate in the middle overs if our spinners have got so much skill bowling in these conditions. So definitely a possible option for us,” Rohit stated about taking part in 3 spinners.
Sri Lanka, however, may contemplate bringing again left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage – who picked up 5 wickets in opposition to India within the Asia Cup 2023 match, together with wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – instead of Dhananjaya de Silva.
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India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj/Ravichandran Ashwin
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (c, wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dinuth Wellalage/Dhananjaya de Silva, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera
