Follow Us8 T20Is as full time captain, 8 wins - team India have been unstoppable under the leadership of Rohit Sharma in the shortest format, and on Sunday the Men in Blue will have the opportunity to register a ninth straight win under the captaincy of Rohit in T20 cricket.
A whitewash is very much on the cards, but Sri Lanka, in the second T20I on Saturday, showed just how threatening they could be. After posing 183 batting first, the visitors had India on the ropes at one point, before a stunning counter-attack from the trio of Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson enabled the hosts to register a convincing win.
Despite the third game being a dead rubber, an interesting contest awaits us.
Ground Details
Dharamsala has historically been a high-scoring venue and the second game was no different. Despite there being plenty of help for the seamers with the new ball, the pitch turned out to be relatively flat. Sri Lanka managed to post 183 and the target was chased down with 17 balls to spare by India, who put up a clinical batting display.
A similar high-scoring encounter can be expected in the third T20I, and the key for sides will be to limit damage inside the first 6-8 overs, so that it would be easy to unleash towards the back end.
Interestingly, the spinners suffered in the second game. Chahal (1/27) was the only spinner who managed to keep things tight, with Jadeja and Jayawickrama both going at over 9 runs per over.
Both teams, therefore, might be looking at their seamers to do damage throughout the game.
Team suggestion
Captain selection
Yet to be dismissed in this series, Shreyas Iyer has been a revelation. A cameo from the right-hander propelled India to a match-winning total in the first game, and in the second he came up with a Man of the Match showing, blasting a stunning 44-ball 74*. He is batting as well as he ever has in T20 cricket, and in the form he is in, it is a no-brainer to make him the captain.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Iyer to score between 42-62 runs in the third T20I
X-factors
Pathum Nissanka has been Sri Lanka’s most consistent T20 batter since making his debut in 2021, and in the second game he showcased his talent, smashing an impressive 75 that gave the visitors a glimmer of hope. So good was Nissanka that, at one point, he was toying with the bowling of Bumrah. He is certainly an x-factor to watch out for in the third T20I.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Nissanka to score between 26-38 runs in the third T20I
Ravindra Jadeja has not yet hit his stride with the ball in this series, but in the second game, he played one of the most destructive cameos T20 cricket has witnessed in recent times. Walking in with the required run rate still over 8, Jadeja smashed 45 off just 18 balls to destroy Sri Lanka’s hopes. Come the third game there’s a good chance of him doing damage with the ball too, so Jadeja is undoubtedly an x-factor worth banking on.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Jadeja to score 14-22 runs and take 2-3 wickets in the third T20I
Jasprit Bumrah has managed to maintain an economy of 6.14 in this series so far, but he’s been unlucky to pick not more than a solitary wicket. He’s been on the money, however, and it could very well be a matter of time before the floodgates open. Sunday might be the day when he rips apart the Lankan batting unit.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Bumrah to take between 0-1 wickets in the third T20I
Probable XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Charith Asalanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara