The 2-1 scoreline is not unexpected given the way India have pushed Sri Lanka to the brink in all but one game – a Twenty20 – played in the limited-overs leg of the tour. But now, with the home team missing two match-winners, a hurting Sri Lanka have a realistic chance of leveling the series.
This will be the first time since MS Dhoni’s debut in 2004 that India play an ODI without him and Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni has often said that missing Yuvraj is a big blow, so how India cope with the loss of their captain and best batsman in ODIs in addition to Yuvraj will be crucial.
The tour has seen so many players succumbing to injuries it’s a surprise the rest have managed to get so far. Sri Lanka have lost the services of Thilan Thushara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando and Angelo Mathews. Nuwan Kulasekara missed the Tests but returned for the shorter versions. Yuvraj had a recurrence of his finger injury and has been indefinitely ruled out. Sreesanth is yet to feature after getting the flu, while Lasith Malinga overcame it in time for the last game. Thankfully, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag overcame minor scares. (more…)
Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the ongoing one-day international series against Sri Lanka because of a finger injury. Yuvraj had picked up the injury while fielding during the second Twenty20 in Mohali and was subsequently unavailable for the first two ODIs.
Whatever Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar did in the morning was reprised in the afternoon as Tillakaratne Dilshan’s magnificent hundred and Upul Tharanga’s lively support inspired a riotous start to Sri Lanka’s innings. Tilting at a 415-run windmill, they were right in the hunt at halfway, with Dilshan continuing to find the gaps with ease, and Tharanga departing after a stroke-filled 67.