India Contemplates Strategic Changes For 2nd ODI Against Sri Lanka

Rohit Sharma was visibly upset after India failed to score a single run off the last 15 balls with two wickets in hand during the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday. The match at R Premadasa Stadium ended in a tie. Despite a 75-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the World Cup 2023 finalists could not chase down 231.

Sri Lanka also played with just two pacers and used four spinners on the spin-friendly Colombo surface. Their spinners collectively picked nine wickets. India's third seam bowling option, Shivam Dube, bowled four overs for 19 runs and took the wicket of Kusal Mendis. He also contributed a crucial 25-run innings off 24 balls, putting India on the brink of victory.

But will India go with Shivam Dube in the second ODI as well when a fourth spinner would not be a bad choice on the Colombo pitch which yielded 13 out of the 18 wickets which fell to spin? Will India replace Shivam Dube with Riyan Parag, who was impressive with his leg-spin in the T20I series?

Washington Sundar, one of the four spinners in the first ODI alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, picked four wickets in the last T20I - including two in the Super Over - and was adjudged Man of the Match for his performance. In the first ODI, he picked one wicket for 46 runs in nine overs with the ball and scored five off four with the bat. The left-hand batter was promoted to number four spot; however, this experiment failed.

Dube was on strike when India needed one run but Asalanka dismissed him before getting rid of Arshdeep on the next delivery to pull off a sensational tie for Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma over the years has shown that he isn't someone who changes the eleven every other match. Newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir is also known to back his players and give them a longer run.

The first ODI saw India play with two specialist pacers: Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Both performed decently and are likely to retain their places. Any change to India's eleven from the first ODI seems unlikely. If there is one, it could be Riyan Parag replacing either Dube or Sundar.

Will India sacrifice Washington Sundar to include Rishabh Pant in the playing eleven for the second ODI? The inclusion of Pant will definitely increase India's depth in batting but make them short of one spinner.

India's Predicted Playing XI for 2nd ODI vs Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar/Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj