Asia Cup 2023, Super Fours Match 4 | Sri Lanka Predicted XI vs India

Sri Lanka will be coming into this game on the back of a win against Bangladesh (Source: AP Photos)

Sri Lanka and India will be squaring up against one another in match 5 of the Super Four stages to be staged at the R. Premadesa Stadium, Colombo. The event is slated to begin at 3:00 PM IST, Local Time.

Rain has followed the Indian team so far in the competition. Their tournament opener against arch-rivals, Pakistan ended up as a spoilsport. India could bat and pile up 266 runs in the first innings but the showers denied the resumption in the second innings. The Rohit Sharma-led community's second game against Nepal saw the dominance of openers- Shubman Gill and Rohit, chasing down a dls target of 145 runs with ease.  After making the cut to the Super Fours, the India versus Pakistan second clash moved to the second day after India stayed stagnant at 147/2 riding on the back of half-centuries from Rohit and Shubman.

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On the other hand, The Dasun Shanaka-led unit kickstarted the tournament with a five wicket victory against Bangladesh in the group stages. It was followed by a narrow victory against Afghanistan in a must-win encounter. Moving on to the Super Fours, they continued their dominance against Bangladesh and with already two points in the bucket, Sri Lanka are ready to face the challenge of Men in Blue.

Let us have a quick look at how the Sri Lankan playing XI may sum up against India.

Openers: Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne

The pair of Sri Lanka is a mainstay at the top of their batting order. Pathum Nissanka had the most number of centuries for Sri Lanka in ODIs since 2021 and has been influential in giving the crucial starts on various occasions. Dimuth Karunaratne is an elegant left-handed batter that pairs well with Pathum and carries wealth of experience.

Middle Order: Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalaka

Kusal Mendis has scored back-to-back half-centuries in the competition after a dull Lanka Premier League 2023 season. He is back in his form and means business. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka plays a very difficult role in the middle order. If there's a top-order collapse, this is the duo that has been very much reliable for Sri Lanka. The former also scored a magnificent 93 off 72 balls in the last game against Bangladesh.

All-rounders: Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka and Dunith Wellalage

There should be no reason as to why the management should drop either of the all-rounders. Dasun Shanaka is the captain and also bagged a three-fer in the last game alongwith crucial cameo at the lower order. Dhananjaya de Silva might have a deficiency of runs in the ongoing tournament but had enough in recent times to cement his spot. 

 And now comes Dunith Wellalage, who has filled the void of Wanindu Hasaranga brilliantly. Firstly, he bowled in difficult times against Afghanistan in a must-win encounter, also shwed up with the willow. Even in the last game, the left-arm orthodox spinner was economical and did not leak runs.

Bowlers: Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana and Kasun Rajitha

If the team is  winning, there should not be any reason to tinker with the combination. Both Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana have been pocketing wickets for  Sri Lanka consistently while Kasun Rajitha is their go-to man with the new ball. Although Rajitha, might not have plenty of  wickets under the belt in the Continental championship, he has the skipper's backing and can be a match-winner on his day.

Sri Lanka Predicted XI vs India

Pathum Nissanka
Dimuth Karunaratne
Kusal Mendis (wk)
Sadeera Samarawickrama
Charith Asalanka
Dhananjaya de Silva
Dasun Shanaka (c)
Dunith Wellalage
Maheesh Theekshana
Matheesha Pathirana
Kasun Rajitha