Asia Cup, SL vs IND: Rohit Sharma elects to bat
India take the field for the third consecutive day as they meet hosts Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup Super Fours. The Men in Blue thrashed Pakistan by 228 runs in their previous game, which concluded on the reserve day. Besides, the Lankans are on a 13-match winning streak in ODIs. Indian captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and elected to bat.
Iyer continues to recover; Axar replaces Shardul
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, and Matheesha Pathirana.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host this contest on September 12. The track here has been fruitful for batting lately as India posted 356/2 against Pakistan here. Notably, the overcast conditions here have favored both pacers and spinners so far. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app (3:00pm IST).
Second-longest winning streak in ODIs
As per ESPNcricinfo, SL's previous-longest winning streak in ODIs was 10, which they recorded in 2004. Having now won 13 games on the trot, the Lankan team is now only behind Australia, who recorded 21 back-to-back wins in the 50-over format (2003). They have surpassed South Africa (12 in 2005 and 2016/17) and Pakistan (12 in 2007/08).
Iyer yet to recover fully, ruled out of SL match
Indian middle-order batter Iyer missed the Pakistan game after suffering a last-minute back spasm. Rahul, who replaced him, slammed a match-winning century in the match. Ahead of the SL game, the Board of Control for Cricket in India updated that Iyer is "feeling better but yet to fully recover from the spasm". Therefore, he will be sitting out of another match.
