 India take on Sri Lanka in the second game of the tri-series in Bulawayo and will look for a much improved performance in order to make a comeback into
the series. An inexperienced Indian side were beaten by Zimbabwe in the first
game as the hosts chased down the target of 286 with so much ease that it begs
to be asked a question about how the Indians can change their approach in order
to get past Sri Lanka.
Click for Live Score Card of India Vs Sri Lanka
India may look to field first for the simple reason that the pitch at Bulawayo,
at the start of the innings behaved rather funnily, and that meant that the
side struggled with the bat. Murali Vijay arrogance had all vanished
from the very start, and he barely managed to trouble the scorers before getting
run-out, whereas Virat Kohli scored a duck. Suresh Raina did help with
his knock, but one got the sense that the Rohit Sharma century came a little
too late in the day.
The manner in which they could have overcome the issue could have been by promoting
Yusuf Pathan at the top of the order and get some quick runs after getting used
to the pitch conditions. One gets the sense that it is exactly how the India
will choose to progress in the next game against Sri Lanka unless they want
to face defeat once again - they need those quick runs at the start of the order
and in the middle as well, and who better than Pathan to first settle down and
provide for them.
The Indian bowling was not bad, but it was not good either. For most bit, the
inexperience of the side showed through and this will be an issue when they
take on Sri Lanka. This is another reason why India could opt to field first
if they win the toss, as that would allow them to get the bowling out of the
way without the pressure of having to defend the totals, and then bat through
in the second innings after setting a target.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will also have a young side and for them, the
pitch will be a matter of concern too. After all, if the guys at the top of
the order could not get their bearing right while batting first, the side would
obviously want to do the opposite, and under Tillakaratne Dilshan captaincy,
this could be the way to go about it.
Angelo Mathews will be the player to look out for, as the side tries and starts
off with a win.
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