India vs Sri Lanka 8th match of Champions Trophy 2017 is all set to start today at 3pm. India start as firm favorites in their clash tonight with neighbors Sri Lanka at the Oval, having creamed Pakistan convincingly by 96 runs in their previous match. Adding to that, the Sri Lankan side has struggled for form, losing to South Africa by over a 100 run margin, and losing their stand-in captain Upul Tharanga to slow over rate in the process. Angelo Matthews is out due to a failed fitness test, and the Sri Lankans will feel the pinch as they take the field today. On the other hand, India have had a problem of plenty on their hands, so much so that skipper Kohli had to publicly defend his decision to leave out Ashwin and Shami yesterday. Both Ashwin and Shami are proven match-winners and have done well in the English conditions, and it goes to show the depth of the Indian bowling attack if they cannot find a spot on the playing XI.
Here is a list of the last five times India met Sri Lanka, and you will notice that India have dominated encounters in the recent history, a subtle indication of the struggling Lankans who have been trying to rebuild their side after the twin retirement of Sangakkara and Jayawardene.
Asia Cup, 7th Match: India v Sri Lanka at Dhaka, Mar 1, 2016
India won the T20I by 5 wickets, with 4 balls to spare. Put into bat first, Sri Lanka managed 138 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs, with Chamara Kapugedera top scoring with 30. Bumrah returned with excellent figures of 2-27. The chase was easy for India, as Virat Kohli slammed a sturdy 56 and Yuvraj Singh 35 to take India home.
Sri Lanka tour of India and Bangladesh, 3rd T20I
India v Sri Lanka at Visakhapatnam, Feb 14, 2016 : India won by 9 wickets, after the visitors were shot out for 82 in 18 overs, with R Ashwin claiming a 4-fer. In response, Shikhar Dhawan scored 46 and Rahane 22 to take India home with 6.1 overs to spare. India won the series 2-1.
Sri Lanka tour of India and Bangladesh, 2nd T20I
India v Sri Lanka at Ranchi, Feb 12, 2016 : India put on 196 runs batting first, with Dhawan top scoring with 51 and Rahul Sharma putting on 43 for an opening partnership of 75. Sri Lanka wobbled in the run chase after a promising start with Ashwin again returning with 3 wickets. In the end, the Lankans could manage only 127 runs in the 20 overs, losing by 69 runs.
Sri Lanka tour of India and Bangladesh, 1st T20I
India v Sri Lanka at Pune, Feb 9, 2016: The first match of the T20 series saw India being bowled out for 101 in 18.5 overs, with Rajitha and Shanaka returning with 3 wickets apiece. Sri Lanka chased down the target comfortably, winning by 5 wickets with 2 overs to spare.
India tour of Sri Lanka, 3rd Test: Sri Lanka vs India at Colombo (SSC), Aug 28-Sep 1, 2015
The last test of the three-test series saw India winning big to cap a series win. Pujara scored 145 for a first innings hundred, helping India reach a competitive score of 312. In reply, Sri Lanka could only manage 201, with Ishant Sharma claiming a five wicket haul. The second innings saw India being bowled out for 274, with KL Rahul and R Ashwin getting critical half centuries, to set a target of 385. It always looked steep for the home side on the final day, and Angelo Matthew’s century could not save the day as they were bowled out for 268 to hand the series to the visiting Indians.
