India have won both the Test series and the ODIs against Sri Lanka so far in recent times and they will begin their bid to nail a T20 series on Wednesday when the two sides play the first of three matches.
Sri Lanka had their chances in the ODI series after largely being blown away in the Test matches and they will be desperate to leave India with something to show for their efforts. This should be a competitive contest.
India
If there is a weakness in the Indian ranks it comes in this format which is surprising given the success of the Indian Premier League. They have won just six of their 10 T20 internationals in 2017 and when the World Cups come along they don’t feature as strongly as they would like apart from 2007 when they were champions.
India’s focus for much of Sri Lanka’s tour has been on the upcoming cricket in South Africa which is only a little over a week away from beginning so they are not going to be at full strength here. The incoming players will either be out of their depth or they will take the opportunity to impress and it remains to be seen which it is.
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankans began the year by winning series in South Africa and Australia in this format of the game and they will be looking to round off the year with another series win. They ultimately lost their ODI series but they were competitive enough for a number of times in it that suggest they can be dangerous in the shorter format.
The crucial thing for Sri Lanka in the 20 over format is the number of bowling options that they have at their disposal and the variation in their attack too. Their stroke players can play with a little more freedom too given that they don’t have as long to bat so in recent times this has really become their best format.
Team News
India are saving the majority of the senior players for South Africa. Just Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni stay in with the likes of Basil Thampi and Mohammad Siraj potentially getting a chance to shine.
Sri Lanka have called their heavy guns back for this series so the likes of Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera and Asela Gunaratne will all feature for the tourists.
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Betting
With this not being India’s strongest format and Sri Lanka probably having it as their best in recent times I was interested in the tourists before the squads for the match were announced. Now that we have seen the changes India are making I think Sri Lanka have to be the bet here.
They are more settled at this level and man for man they would appear to match up well to this weakened India side. Sri Lanka won the opening ODI and with the likes of Upul Tharanga and Angelo Mathews in good form I’m with them to win the first T20 too.
Tips
Back Sri Lanka to beat India for a 3/10 stake at 3.80 with Betfair
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