N ANANTHANARAYANAN
The Indian team will take nothing for granted despite their dominance when they face Sri Lanka in the third One-day International on Sunday.
India, who have a chance to seal the series here, can clinch their fourth ODI series in a row in Sri Lanka if they emerge victorious here. Sri Lanka, trailing 2-0, last won a bilateral series against India in 1997 and don’t seem to be in shape to end that wait. Virat Kohli’s team is likely to desist from any blind experiment after they were caught napping by Sri Lanka’s versatile spinner, Akila Dananjaya, who produced a career-best 6/54 on Thursday. India had decided to change the batting order with Kohli moving to No. 5.
Tail-ender Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck his maiden ODI half-century (53 no) and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45 no) reprised his role as a calm finisher as India recovered to win by three wickets.
The Indian dressing room would have been reminded of the unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis, who in the 2008 Test series, helped Sri Lanka beat India. But Sri Lanka are a pale shadow of that team.
Bhuvneshwar revealed his tactic of expecting Dananjaya to always bowl an in-coming delivery paid off. The Sri Lankan offbreak bowler flummoxed batsmen with leg-break and googly.
Bhuvneshwar’s revelation after scoring his maiden ODI half-century showed the Indian dressing room had quickly woken up to the 23-year-old Dananjaya. They are likely to be ready to counter his mystery on Sunday. Though India almost paid heavily for shuffling the batting order in the second ODI, India could still experiment by giving chance to those who are yet to play.
Middle-order batsman Manish Pandey and Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur, who has looked in fine rhythm at the nets after a fruitful tour of South Africa with India A, may get a run. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is in great form, could be given a break.
Sri Lanka will hope Dananjaya rallies the team after skipper Upul Tharanga was handed a two-match ban for slow over rate in the last game. Chamara Kapugedera will lead in Tharanga’s absence.
Sri Lanka selectors have called up Dinesh Chandimal, the Test skipper who was a controversial omission in the first place, and