Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Dravid (Photo-BCCI)
Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Dravid (Photo-BCCI)

The first ODI between Sri Lanka and India is all set to take place on July 18 which will commence India’s limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka. The tour will comprise of 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is, all of which are slated to take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Earlier, the tour was originally scheduled from July 13 but with multiple members of the Lankan contingent testing COVID-19 positive, the tour had to be pushed further.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has also kept a backup team ready in case any further members of the Lankan team test positive for COVID. The last couple of months have been turbulent for the Lankan team as the players have been in dispute with the board over their annual contracts. A captaincy change from Kusal Perera to Dasun Shanaka has also meant that the team isn’t in a very comfortable position ahead of the series.

Sri Lanka Cricket Team
Sri Lanka Cricket Team (Image Credit: Twitter)

Sri Lanka vs India 2021, 1st ODI- Betting Odds

Presently, the senior Indian team is in England as they faced New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship and they will now play a five-match Test series against the England Cricket Team which is scheduled to take place from August 05. Thus, the BCCI had to send a second-string team to Sri Lanka which will be led by Shikhar Dhawan and coached by Rahul Dravid.

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Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Dravid
Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Dravid (Image Credit: Twitter)

Even though the senior Indian team is in England, the second-string Indian squad looks more than capable enough of beating the Lankans in their own backyard. The bookmakers have India as a heavy betting favorite for the first ODI. The best Cricket Betting Sites have given India odds of 1.16 to win while Sri Lanka are underdogs with odds of 4.50.

Sri Lanka’s recent loss against the England Cricket Team is also one of the prime reasons behind the bookmakers relying heavily on the India National Cricket Team. Also, Dasun Shanaka’s captaincy record hasn’t been proven yet and this also makes India one of the staunch favorites to win the first ODI and the series.

Sri Lanka vs India 2021, 1st ODI- Verdict

So far, it is difficult to predict as to what Sri Lanka’s Predicted Playing XI for the first ODI might look like. However, the Indian predicted playing XI for the first ODI looks certain with Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw opening the innings. Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, and Sanju Samson will likely occupy the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots. The Pandya brothers will likely take up the 6th and 7th spot. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, and Kuldeep Yadav might play as the four bowlers from the Indian team.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowls as Manish Pandey looks on (Photo-BCCI)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo-BCCI)

The sportsbooks suggest that team India is going to win the first ODI and also the series. If you are looking to bet on the first ODI, we would strongly suggest you place your bet on India.