Plot:

Almost two years ago, India were in a similar situation they find themselves in, against Sri Lanka. In February 2016, Sri Lanka pulled out a bowling brilliance in Pune to bowl India out for just 101. That was the first T20I of the 3-match series, and India had to win the remaining games to stay alive and clinch the series. In the ongoing 3-match ODI series, India need to win the second game to stay alive in the series. Rohit Sharma, who was captaining Team India for the first time will look to forget what happened in the first ODI, at the earliest.

Sri Lanka will be beaming with confidence after their sensational victory over India in Dharamsala. They broke India’s 12-match winning streak against them and proved that they can’t be written off easily. The pacers bowled in the right areas to trouble all the Indian batsmen. They will expect something similar on the Mohali track from their quicks. However, this time around, the Indian batsmen will be more cautious than they were during the first game.

India had a horrid outing in Dharamsala, and their batsmen fell prey to some good fast bowling. MS Dhoni was the only batsman who put up a fight and showed a lot of application. Amidst all the criticism over his batting, he stood out and stood strong. The younger Indian batsmen have got a few chances in the recent past, but haven’t made the most of it. The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and the experienced Dinesh Karthik know that their spots may not be cemented in the playing XI, and will have to score heavily to stay within the range of the selectors’ vision.

India had lost the first ODI of the India-New Zealand series a month ago, but bounced back to take the series, 2-1. They will need to stitch some of the holes, and come out firing on all cylinders to do something similar against the upbeat Lankans. One can expect more fire from their batsmen and bowlers. The series has got more interesting than it seemed before it got underway.

Stage:

PCA IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali:

Traditionally, the stadium in Mohali has been a quick and bouncy wicket. The Lankan bowlers will fancy this. Having said that, India have the quicks to take advantage of conditions like the one in Dharamsala and Mohali. The hardness of the surface will let the ball come on to the bat a lot better as well. It should be a balanced contest between bat and ball.

Acts:

Shreyas Iyer vs Lankan quicks:

The young Mumbai lad has a lot of promise and talent next to his name. He also has shots that can make jaws drop to the ground. However, he has to translate them into international cricket. He couldn’t do much of that against the Kiwis in the T20Is, but the upcoming limited overs matches could prove to be a litmus test for him. He will be tested against the in-form Lankan quicks, especially Suranga Lakmal.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Upul Tharanga:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has a stellar record against left-handers in ODI cricket. He bowled pretty well against the Lankan batsmen even though India didn’t have the runs they would’ve liked to defend. AN early swinging delivery outside the off stump could tempt Tharanga into playing one of his flashy strokes. Getting the experienced opener will be on Kumar’s mind.

Hardik Pandya vs Angelo Mathews:

Hardik Pandya has the crazy knack of picking of wickets when other bowlers find it difficult to. Angelo Mathews has looked good in the last few matches of the tour. He is the backbone of Sri Lanka’s middle order. Hardik may have a few opportunities to bowl at Mathews, and he will look to rally on the bounce the Mohali surface will have for him.