India needed a good start to the World Cup year, but settled with a toss win at Guwahati. That brings us to Indore, for the encounter of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Change of venue and playing condition, but the focus remains the same. (More Cricket News)
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to hit the straps straightway, but Shikhar Dhawan may well take some time to find his lost touch. Oh, both the players are coming back from injury lay-offs. For Sri Lanka, this short tour is the perfect platform to build a team for the future. Lasith Malinga is probably playing his last series in India.
Here's everything you need to know:
Match: India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I
Date: January 7 (Tuesday)
Time: 7:00 PM IST, Toss at 6:30 PM IST
Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
TV Guide: Star Sports 1/HD (for English commentary) and Star Sports 3/HD (for Hindi commentary). Doordarshan will also broadcast the match. Besides, Star Sports will broadcast the match in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, and Bhutan. In Sri Lanka, Channel Eye (SLRC) will broadcast the match live.
For other countries and regions:
UK: Sky Sports Cricket
South Africa: SuperSport
USA: Willow TV
Carribean: ESPN Caribbean
Canada: ATN Cricket Plus
Live Streaming: Hotstar digital platform (both website, app). Payment details are available when you subscribe. The match can also be streamed live on the Jio TV app.
For ball-by-ball live commentary, click HERE.
Weather forecast: According to Accuweather, there may be a passing shower with 14% chance of rain in Indore. So expect a full match.
Screenshot: AccuWeather
However, the probability of precipitation increases as the night wears on -- to 52%.
Screenshot: AccuWeather
What to expect: Indore is a typically a batting-friendly venue. The lone T20I match played here was between India and Sri Lanka, with the hosts posting 260/5. They won by 88 runs. Rohit Sharma, who scored 118 off 43, is rested.
Match prediction: So, India are clear favourites.
Likely XIs: Both sides are likely to field the same XIs which didn't take the field at Guwahati.
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah.
Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera (wk), Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga (c).
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson.
Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga (c), Dhanushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya De Silva, Isuru Udana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha
