Sri Lanka Vs India 2017: Chamara Kapugedera Doubtful For 4th ODI, Who Should Lead The Hosts

As if there problems were not enough, Sri Lanka have been dealt yet another huge blow as their stand-in skipper Chamara Kapugedera is now doubtful for the upcoming fourth One-Day International against India. The right-handed batsman was given the responsibility of leading the Islanders in the third and fourth ODIs after regular skipper Upul Tharanga was handed a two-game ban by the International Cricket Cricket due to slow over-rate offence in the second ODI.

However, it looks like Sri Lanka will now have to look for another alternative as Kapugedera has aggravated a back injury during the third ODI. The 30-year old was suffering with the back problem prior to the third match but did not refrain from playing the crucial game. But since the game, he has not trained and is looking likely to miss the penultimate game of the series.

“I was talking to the physio and he hasn’t been ruled out quite yet,” cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha said of Kapugedara. “He’s being treated. Only five or six guys are training tonight, so anyway we gave him a break. We’ll most probably look at it tomorrow (Wednesday) at training tomorrow afternoon. If he doesn’t train tomorrow then definitely he is out.”

New captain –  another headache for the struggling hosts:

After already losing the series following the defeats in the first three games, an injury to their stand-in skipper was certainly the last things the hosts would have wanted. The series is definitely done and dusted as far as the winner is concerned but it still holds a huge importance for the islanders. Currently ranked eighth in ODIs, Sri Lanka needs to win the remaining two games at any cost to secure an automatic spot for the next World Cup and losing a key member of the team is definitely a big big blow.

Well, the hosts could do very little except from cursing their luck but at the same time they also need to appoint a new captain for the fourth ODI before Tharanga returns for the final match. Test captain Dinesh Chandimal is also ruled out of the series after suffering an injury during the third ODI. In such a scenario, senior pacer Lasith Malinga can be given the responsibility of leading the team. Malinga has the experience of leading a team and the hosts can totally count on him unless they want to try out a youngster . Angelo Mathews is also in the team but he is unlikely to don the captain’s hat just a month after stepping down from the post.