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After three years, team India yesterday ended up on the losing side against the Lankans in the shortest format. The depleted Indian side were bundled out for a below-par score of 132. The Lankans in return chased down the target with 4 wickets and 2 balls to spare. 

"I decided to bat till the end. We held our nerves today. It is always tough against India." - 

Dhananjaya de Silva (MOM)

India were missing out on several of their players as they have been forced to undergo isolation after the key all-rounder Krunal Pandya was tested positive.

With the 3-match series now level at 1-1, the hosts have ensured the Men in blue will have to fight it out hard this time unlike in the ODIs. Can the young Indian side produce a quick turnaround? Or will Lankans finally have a series in their favor?

Match Toss Time: 14:00 GMT (19:30 IST)

Match Start Time: 14:30 GMT (20:00 IST)

Match Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Head to Head

Matches Played: 21, Sri Lanka:6, India: 14, N/R: 1 

Weather Report

The conditions are ideal for cricket as clear skies are expected throughout the course of the day. The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 31-27 degrees Celsius range and the humidity at the peak is likely to touch the 74% percent mark.

Pitch Report

The heavy usage of the pitch has become evident in the last encounter as the pitch has slowed down considerably. Both the teams were seen struggling to play their shots and at a stage, even the score of 132 seemed to be a par one. The decider encounter is guaranteed to be a low-scoring encounter and the spinners are likely to play a crucial role.

Team News

After a series of consecutive losses, the Lankans finally have managed to get close to a series victory. The team did put up a strong show in the second T20I and for that reason, they are likely to stick to the same playing Xl.

On the other hand, the Indians are left with not many options as their key players have been forced to undergo isolation after all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for Covid. The visitors will be looking forward to the decider with the same Xl and hoping they can turn the tables in their favor this time around. 

Probable Playing Xl

Sri Lanka (SL): Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka (c), Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera

India (IND): Shikhar Dhawan (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (wk), Nitish Rana, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakravarthy

Must picks

Wanindu Hasaranga has been the go-to man for Sri Lanka and he is certain to give great value to the fantasy line-up. Along with Hasaranga, the skipper Dasun Shanaka too has been consistent throughout the tour and he would be giving it his everything to see Sri Lanka on the winning side. 

Shikhar Dhawan is currently the highest run-getter for India in this T20I series and there is no doubt he will be once again leading his team forward. We also expect Devdutt Padikkal to go it all guns blazing for the deciding showdown. 

Key stats

# It was just Sri Lanka’s second win in the last 13 meetings between the sides in the shortest format.

# Shikhar Dhawan is now the leading Indian run-getter against Sri Lanka in T20Is (375 runs)

# Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling strike rate of 11.63 is currently the best in T20I beating Afghani star Rashid Khan’s 12.1.

# Sri Lanka’s destructive all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga is the only Lankan player to be ranked in the ICC top 10 rankings of any format. The 24-year old is currently 2nd in the ICC Men’s T20I bowlers rankings.

SL vs IND fantasy team

SL vs IND fantasy team India
Cricwizz fantasy team

Captain and Vice-captain picks

Shikhar Dhawan Wanindu Hasaranga India
Shikhar Dhawan (C) and Wanindu Hasaranga (Vc) 

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