ICC World Cup 2019: Match 44, India vs Sri Lanka – Match Preview

The penultimate group stage game of the ICC World Cup 2019 will see India go up against Sri Lanka on July 6 (Saturday) at Headingley in Leeds. While the Men In Blues will look to keep the momentum running ahead of the knockouts, Sri Lanka will aim to bow out with a win.

India’s batting order has looked in sublime form with Rohit Sharma leading the pack. He has already struck four centuries in the tournament and will look to keep up the excellent form alongside skipper Virat Kohli who is yet to score a hundred in this World Cup. Meanwhile, all eyes will be on MS Dhoni, who has struggled to get going with the bat in the last few games. The former India skipper will look to hit the strides before the knockout stage. India’s bowling has been relatively good with Jasprit Bumrah doing an excellent job so far. The spinners; however, will look to raise their game against Sri Lanka before the semifinals.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: Imran Tahir Get’s Emotional Before His Last ODI Match For South Africa

On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s batting has been the area of concern for them in the World Cup. Although they have improved a lot from their first game against New Zealand, the openers have struggled mostly in the tournament which resulted in a premature end to their campaign. Indian bowlers will aim to exploit that area to secure another win before the semifinals. However, Sri Lankan bowlers have done a decent job with Lasith Malinga leading the pack. He will be playing his last World Cup game and will look to end on a positive note.

Date and Venue: India vs Sri Lanka, July 6 (Saturday) from 3:00 PM IST, at Headingley in Leeds

Also reads: ICC World Cup 2019: Pakistan’s Players Rating

Predicted Playing XI

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Thirrimanne, Isuru Udana, Vandersay, Lasith Malinga and Kasun Rajitha

Also Read : ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (Match 44): Sri Lanka vs India – Stats Preview 

Statistical Preview

• Dhananjaya de Silva has taken five wickets in 37 overs at an economy rate of 4.7 this World Cup. The other Sri Lanka spinners have combined for one wicket in 20.1 overs while conceding 6.9 runs an over.

• Jasprit Bumrah needs one wicket to get to 100 ODI wickets. Should he get there in his this match – his 57th – he will be the second-fastest Indian to the landmark after Mohammed Shami.
• Rohit Sharma has already hit four centuries this tournament, matching Kumar Sangakkara‘s achievement in 2015; no batsman has scored more hundreds in a single edition of the World Cup.

World Cup Head to Head

Pitch Conditions

Headingley have produced batting wickets so far in the World Cup. The last game between West Indies and Afghanistan saw almost 600 runs scored. The deck will remain the same throughout the game but the team winning the toss will like to bat first and defend the target later on.

Weather Conditions

It will be partly cloudy in Headingley on Saturday. There is a little chance of rain until the afternoon; however, it reduces further later on in the day, which shouldn’t be an issue for both the teams. The temperature will be hovering around 18-20 Degrees Celsius, making it easy for the players.

Match Predictions

India and Sri Lanka have produced close matches whenever they have gone up against each other in the fifty-over format. The neighbours have met each other eight times previously in the World Cup with the Men in Blues losing four times and managing to win only three. The last time they met was in the 2011 ICC World Cup final where India beat Sri Lanka to win the trophy after 28 years.

Dimuth Karunaratne & Co will be keen to complete the revenge for their loss which dates to eight years back but going by the current form, India will start as the outright favourites to win their last league game and march towards the semifinals.