Sri Lanka look to bounce back with T20 win

Published : 10:14 am August 7, 2012 | No comments so far |

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The five-match One Day International series between Sri Lanka and India which concluded on Saturday saw the Indians coast to a comfortable 4-1 series win over the hosts Sri Lanka.

With India having bagged the ODI the two teams will clash in the one-off T20 encounter scheduled to be played at the Pallekele Stadium today and host Sri Lanka will be yearning to gain their lost prestige and end the tour on a winning note.

Sri Lanka sans prolific batsman Kumar Sangakkara will have to work hard if they are to make any impression and Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardena will no doubt be hoping for a better performance on the field this time out.

The Indians will be coming into the game with a load of confidence and will be looking forward to continue their winning streak. The performance they put after their defeat in the second ODI at the Sooriyawewa Stadium speaks volume of the talent they possess and also the dedication by the team which was lacking in the approach of the Sri Lankans.

For Sri Lanka, in form batsman Virat Kohli is going to be the danger man and apart from him the Indians have a strong batting line and it’s left to be seen how the Sri Lanka bowlers are going to cope.

Skipper Jayawardena who did not take the field in final ODI on Saturday will be back in action and will be hoping to put in a better display. Most probably there would be some changes in the Sri Lanka side as right arm pacie Shaminda Eranga who has yet to make his T20 debut has been included.

The two teams have played each other in four T20 encounters sharing two wins each. Sri Lanka recorded their last win in 2010 when they defeated India by five wickets in an ICC World T20 encounter played at St Lucia’s in West Indies while India’s last win was in 2009 by six wickets at the Mohali Stadium.

By M Shamil Amith