The Indian national cricket team is on the verge of creating history during the first ODI of the three-match series against the Sri Lanka national cricket team. Rohit Sharma-led team India has a chance to become the first team to achieve the record of most wins against an opponent in ODI cricket.
After securing a clean sweep of a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in T20I, the Men in Blue will next take on the same opponent in the 50-overs format. The first ODI match between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2. It marks India’s first match in the current schedule.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to return to cricket after a break following India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Earlier, it was reported that the senior players would be given a break. Rohit will captain the Indian ODI team in Sri Lanka. Bumrah was given a break from the ongoing white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
Team India on the verge of making history
The Indian cricket team has recorded 99 wins in 168 ODIs against the 1996 World Cup champions. Australia ranks second on the list of most wins against a team in ODIs, with 96 wins from 142 ODIs against New Zealand. Pakistan cricket team ranks third with 93 wins from 157 ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Most wins against a team in ODI matches
| Equipment | Adversary | Victories |
|---|---|---|
| India | Sri Lanka | 99 |
| Australia | New Zealand | 96 |
| Pakistan | Sri Lanka | 93 |
| Australia | England | 88 |
| Australia | India | 84 |
Rohit Sharma to lead Indian team in Sri Lanka ODIs
The Men in Blue are the favourites to win the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Friday in Colombo. The Indian team bowled out Sri Lanka by 50 runs in their last ODI encounter in Sri Lanka. India won the final of the 2023 Asia Cup by 10 wickets. Team India defeated Sri Lanka by 302 runs in a group stage match of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Rohit Sharma has a strong record against Sri Lanka, including two double centuries. Virat Kohli has hit 10 centuries against Sri Lanka in the 50-overs format. Kohli needs 152 runs in the first ODI match against Sri Lanka to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record and become the fastest batsman to reach 14,000 ODI runs.
India is facing a selection dilemma regarding the wicketkeeper’s position. KL Rahul has performed well in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who has not played ODIs in almost two years. Pant could be preferred in the playing XI as the only left-hander in a top-order line-up. Rohit Sharma mentioned that the playing XI will be announced at the toss.
India Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed/Arshdeep Singh
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