Sri Lanka, India look to secure unassailable lead

After the washout in Guwahati, India and Sri Lanka will attempt to go again, in the second T20I in Indore on Tuesday.

Nothing about the abandonment would have drastically changed anything either side expects from this series, though. With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 looming larger, the focus is, as ever, the focus will continue to be on ironing out the flaws and figuring out approaches.

To that end, India will again keep a close eye on the performances of Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah, among others. Dhawan is battling for a spot in the XI, with Rohit Sharma rested and KL Rahul impressing, while Bumrah is set to make his comeback after a long spell spent on the sidelines with injury.

Sri Lanka, who have been inconsistent lately, securing an impressive series win in Pakistan and then being swept in Australia, also have experimentation on the agenda. It was telling that in the XI they named in Guwahati – the skies opened up after toss – there was no place for Angelo Mathews, the veteran who was recalled to the squad.

For all the planning for the World Cup, both teams will also be acutely aware that, this being the second T20I of a three-match series, a victory can ensure an unassailable 1-0 lead.

The teams last faced each other (not counting the washout in Guwahati) in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, when India secured a comfortable seven-wicket win in their chase of 265. Mathews scored a fine 113, but was outshone by KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, both of whom registered centuries.

As for T20Is, the teams last played each other in a tri-series match in March 2018, with an inexperienced Indian side securing a six-wicket chase of 153. At the time, Shardul Thakur took 4/27 to help restrain Sri Lanka.

Indore will have pleasant conditions, ranging around 20°C, although expect a nip in the air as the match progresses into the night.

There were plenty of runs on offer in the last – and only – T20I played at this venue, between India and Sri Lanka incidentally, in 2017, when India posted 260/5 and kept Sri Lanka to 172.