India take on Sri Lanka in the fifth game of the tri-series in Zimbabwe, and it is not only a must-win game for the Indians, but they also need to win the match by a bonus point. The situation is such that Zimbabwe has nine points with one to play, Sri Lanka has five points with two to play, and India has four points with one to play.

So, if India win this game without a bonus point they will go up to eight points, and then, if Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe in the last game, the hosts and the Lankans will both end on nine. This will mean that the Indians will bow out of the tournament. In this case, if Zimbabwe beats Sri Lanka, then, India and Zimbabwe will go through, while Sri Lanka will go out.

If India beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point, then India will finish with nine points in the series. This means that if Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe with a bonus point, then, Sri Lanka is through to the final, whereas the better net run rate between India and Zimbabwe will go through. If Sri Lanka wins without the bonus point, all the three teams will be tied with nine apiece and the top two sides with the best net run-rate will go through, whereas if Zimbabwe beats Sri Lanka, India and Zimbabwe will qualify for the final.

Having said that, it is rather difficult to see India beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point. To do that, if India is chasing a target, they will need to do it in 40 overs or less, and unless India can win the toss and then restrict the Lankans to a lowish total, expecting the Indians to garner that bonus point is difficult.

Then again, even to be able to beat Sri Lanka, India needs to perform much better with the bat. They have struggled so badly so far in the tournament, that it looks highly unlikely that they will be able to overcome the Lankans with a bonus point. Especially given that the pitch at Harare will assist the spin bowlers and the Lankans have loads of spinners.

For Sri Lanka, this is the best time to prove that winning the toss does not mean losing the game, and they will look to make things count even if they bat first. in the first game against India, they had had decent starts but had collapsed rather badly, a mistake they will not want to repeat again.

Tag :- India   Sri Lanka