India will bat first against Sri Lanka at the Oval, as they look to go one step closer to booking their spot in the Champions Trophy semi-finals.
Even if India win here, as they’re expected to, they will go into the final round of Group B games still theoretically needing to beat the Proteas to guarantee their spot in the semi-finals. Pakistan blew the group wide open with their 19-run D/L method victory over South Africa at Edgbaston last night. As it stands, three teams are on a victory apiece.
Sri Lanka will look to throw up a surprise or two against the Indians, and with Angelo Mathews returning to the side, his captaincy and quality will give them a huge boost. Upul Tharanga, who top-scored against the Proteas, starts his two-game ban for a slow-over rate in the last match, with Danushka Gunathilaka moving in.
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India, who have named an unchanged side, have won 14 of the last 17 matches against Sri Lanka, but it’s a bowling day with overcast conditions, so winning the toss has given the Sri Lankans a fighting chance of pulling off a victory. Rain is expected throughout the day. Let’s hope it doesn’t have the final say once again.
INDIA: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav
SRI LANKA: Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep
