India tour of Sri Lanka 2017

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http://www.cricket.com.au/news/lasith-malinga-captain-sri-lanka-india-odi-series/2017-08-30


Following Sri Lanka’s Champions Trophy group-stage exit, Jayasekara said the team’s poor fielding display throughout the tournament was due to substandard fitness and their "big bellies".

In 1980s, when Sri Lanka board decided to select only fit players, they dropped all unfit pot bellied players including Rantunga. After much hue and cry, these pot bellied seniors were reinstated.

Sri Lanka could win matches and tournaments with pot bellied unfit cricketers two decades ago, but it is highly unlikely that they will be able to compete against teams that give serious importance to fitness. Remember Indian selectors dropped Yuvraj and Raina (highly fit players in their prime) because they could not pass the fitness tests !

I hope that Rantunga asks Sri Lanka cricketers not to be like him and asks them to be like Indian cricketers in their fitness levels.

 

[MenInG]

https://sports.ndtv.com/sri-lanka-v...t-for-the-rest-of-series-vs-sri-lanka-1745293

India opener Shikhar Dhawan will no longer be a part of the on-going series against Sri Lanka. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced that Team India opener Mr. Shikhar Dhawan would be leaving for India tomorrow i.e. September 3rd to see his ailing mother," a release from the Indian Board said.

"Dhawan's mother is stable and is recovering well at the moment. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has decided not to name any replacement for the 5th ODI and the only T20I, scheduled on September 3rd and 6th respectively in Colombo," the release further said.
Dhawan is savouring a purple patch, hitting century after century, but the opener won't be overtly worried if he has to face a slump in form. Dhawan, who hit a punishing knock against Sri Lanka in the first ODI, said: "failure teaches you a lot and I am lucky I have learnt so much out of that."

It was the third hundred for Dhawan on this tour, after he scored hundreds in Galle and Pallekele Tests.
Earlier, the left-hander was dropped from the team after the New Zealand series last year and came back to the team for the Champions Trophy this year. Since then he has done exceedingly well.

He is keen to continue with good form.

"It's a long time (until the next World Cup). I would like to keep performing well. That would be my goal because if I don't perform there are such great batsmen in our side that anyone can take the place, so that's one thing.

"The second thing is I would like to keep my fitness on a high level because all the young boys are there. I like to keep myself fit at the pace of the game. Apart from that, I don't really have too many goals that I have to score these many runs. I just focus on my process including my fitness, skills, and fielding," he said after his century in the first ODI against Sri Lanka.

 

[CanadianG00se]

India should try KL Rahul as an opener. Draft in K Jadhav as number #5.

R Sharma
KL Rahul
V Kohli
M Pandey
K Jadhav
MS Dhoni
H Pandya
A Patel
K Yadav
S Thakur
J Bumrah

 

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This gives K L Rahul another chance to perform after failing miserably in the four matches that he has played.

 

[CanadianG00se]

This gives K L Rahul another chance to perform after failing miserably in the four matches that he has played.

KL Rahul have shown the potential and need to be persist with. Give him at least end of India's home season, he will come good.
Other than KL Rahul, who else you think can be good? R Pant? S Iyer?

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Turned into boring one sided tour of India...no interest

 

[squarecut]

I am not saying that K L Rahul should not be persisted with. What I am saying is that absence of Dhawan ensures that his place in the playing XI will remain secure.

Rishab Pant and S Iyer need to wait for their turn just like Manish Pandey is being made to wait for his turn.

 

[CanadianG00se]

It was criminal to make M Pandey wait for so long wheres, Over the hill Yuvi was given countless chances.

 

[Specialisttailender]

I am not saying that K L Rahul should not be persisted with. What I am saying is that absence of Dhawan ensures that his place in the playing XI will remain secure.

Rishab Pant and S Iyer need to wait for their turn just like Manish Pandey is being made to wait for his turn.

I say let Pandey and Raul both play in the 5th game. If Rahul still fails against this minnow sri lankan team them he should be tossed away from ODIS.

 

[CanadianG00se]

India should try KL Rahul as an opener. Draft in K Jadhav as number #5.

R Sharma
KL Rahul
V Kohli
M Pandey
K Jadhav
MS Dhoni
H Pandya
A Patel
K Yadav
S Thakur
J Bumrah

So it seems A Rahane will play the match and most likely open the innings

Seriously, whats the obssession with Rahane. He clearly is not cutout for LOIs, he should focus on Test. It was perfect opportunity to try out KL Rahul as an opener. Indian management never ceased to amaze me. First Yuvi, and now Rahane will tourcher us for next few years

 

[Proactive_]

Rahane is overvalued in ODIs and undervalued in Tests. He shouldn't be in the ODI team but most definitely should be the Test captain.

 

[Sadevdesai]

This guy MSD is like having one extra player on the field !!!!!!!!!

 

[Abdullah719]

Gunaratne set to miss Pakistan Tests

Sri Lanka are likely to travel without the injured Asela Gunaratne for the upcoming series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

“I don’t think Asela Gunaratne will play the Test series against Pakistan. He may play the one-dayers though,” revealed Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lankan limited-overs internationals captain, after his team’s six-wicket loss in the fifth and final One-Day International against India at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday (September 3).

After the one-off Twenty20 International against India, which will signal the end of a seven-week tour, Sri Lanka will head to the UAE to play two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is.

Gunaratne went under the knife for a broken thumb after only the 14th over of the opening day of the first Test against India in Galle in the last week of July. The allrounder dived left at second slip to try and catch Shikhar Dhawan, but left the ground after spilling the catch and breaking his left thumb in three places.

Asked who could provide the balance that Gunaratne, 31, does, Tharanga reluctantly said: “Maybe Kusal Janith (Perera), but I am not too sure because even he is not ready for the Test matches.”

Injuries have been among Sri Lanka’s chief concerns from before the Champions Trophy. Since India arrived on their shores, Sri Lanka lost Gunaratne, Nuwan Pradeep (grade 1 hamstring tear) and most importantly Rangana Herath (back spasms) during the Test series. Dinesh Chandimal, their Test skipper, missed the opening game due to illness.

But Herath, who was rested for the third and final Test against India as a preventive measure, should be ready for the Pakistan series.

Dhammika Prasad, who has been recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in England, is also likely to return to the side. “I am fully ready now,” he said during practice in Colombo. “I will make my comeback against Pakistan.”

Injuries have hampered Sri Lanka’s run even in the one-day segment of the series. Losing Tharanga to a slow over-rate offence in the second ODI was tough enough, but subsequent blows to Danushka Gunathilaka, Chandimal and Chamara Kapugedera were contributing factors in Sri Lanka going down 5-0.

“Not only the bowlers, the entire team is responsible,” said Tharanga, when asked if the skipper should not be the only one who cops the blame for a slow over-rate offence. “Bowlers need to quicken things up and the fielders need to back them up. I think the entire team should come under the spotlight, not just the captain.”

http://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/gunaratne-set-to-miss-pakistan-tests/267999

 

[hadi123]

Sri Lanka lost the five-match series 0-5 against India at home after the visiting team clinched victory by 6 wickets in Colombo on Sunday. Skipper Upul Tharanga has said that there is no reason of stepping down from the captaincy despite losing the series.

“There is no reason to give up captaincy. The next selectors’ committee will decide how we will move forward. We didn’t play well. And in the last two years we have not played well. So, only this set of players can come out of this phase. But we need to plan better and we need to identify what are the areas we can improve on,” he said.

Talking about the team’s performance, the captain insisted that his side lacked consistency and that is why they were outclassed in the series.
“We lacked consistency. We didn’t bat, bowl or field well. We were outplayed in the series. I am disappointed with our batting effort. India were very consistent but we failed to get big scores. The Indian top order was making plenty of runs,” the skipper said.

“We committed too many mistakes. As a batting unit, we failed to post decent totals. Even after five games, we failed to post 250 runs even once. I am feeling very disappointed with that. These batting displays are worrying. We lost some seven wickets for 53 runs. That has been something that is happening frequently now. We commit too many mistakes and we need to rectify them soon,” a disappointed Tharanga stated.
Hailing Virat Kohli’s performance and his experience, Tharanga suggested that his side can learn a lot from the Indian captain.

“As a player and captain, I feel very bad about it. If you take the last two years, we were not up to the mark. We were not consistent, but only these players can get out of this. It is a good opportunity for us to come out of this. “The whole series and prior to that we have spoken about it. Virat is an experienced player. We can learn a lot from him. Kohli’s batting was a good example for us. We talk about these things. We need someone who is set to get a big one. But we failed to achieve that,” concluded Tharanga.

http://indianexpress.com/article/sp...ays-upul-tharanga-india-vs-sri-lanka-4827775/

 

[MenInG]

Sri Lanka Squad for one off T20 against India announced

Colombo 4th September 2017,

The following 15 member squad has been ratified by the Minister of Sport, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara for the one off T20 game against India on Wednesday the 6th September at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

Upul Tharanga – Captain, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilshan Munaweera, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Isuru Udana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Vikum Sanjaya.

 

[SL_Fan]

The talk is that Kapudera opted to bat instead of bowl despite teammates and selectors ordering him to bowl. Can [MENTION=132270]SL_Fan[/MENTION] confirm ?

Remembering whether the team opted to bat or bowl first ain’t that easy bud.