Match Details
- Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
- Date: 5th January 2020
- Time: 7:00 PM IST
- League: Sri Lanka tour of India
India Preview
India will be going into this match a confident side after consistent wins ins T20I at home. In addition to their form, India has also got Jasprit Bumrah back in the team for the series against Sri Lanka. Bumrah will be missing his pace peers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami while Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini join him in the bowling attack. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav would be eager to star the new year with more wickets to their name.
Shikhar Dhawan is in while Rohit Sharma is out of the squad. Dhawan seems a lot excited to get back to scoring big at the top after having missed the last T20I series. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are in good form in addition to Shivam Dube proving his batting abilities in the middle-order. India would be experimenting with different combinations in the batting line-up before the World T20 and this series can be a good opportunity for it.
Sri Lanka Preview
Sri Lanka will be facing a tough challenge playing against a strong and in-form team like India. While India’s record at home is great, its an uphill battle to defeat India at home in T20Is. Lasith Malinga knows the ins and outs of T20s in India. However, others in the bowling attack will need to stick to the basics. Bowling to Dhawan, Kohli and KL Rahul is not an easy task, and Sri Lanka has got to be disciplined with their bowling.
Wanidu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, and Lahiru Kumara need to find breakthroughs for their side. While bowling seems a tough challenge, Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando will be up against Jasprit Bumrah. Sri Lanka’s top-order will be facing India’s and the world’s best fast bowler, Bumrah. As a result, the role of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Angelo Matthews and Dasun Shanaka become more vital in the middle-order.
Match Prediction
India to win the match
India has a much stronger all-round squad as compared to Sri Lanka. India’s top-order is in great form with multiple options in the middle-order to deliver whenever the team needs. In addition, Bumrah joining the side adds confidence to the bowling attack and makes India the clear favorite to win.
Fantasy Team Tips
- Wicket-keeper batsmen Rishabh Pant and Kusal Perera are both good hitters. While Perera bats up the order, Pant is more likely to be in a finisher’s role.
- Virat Kohli and L Rahul find themselves in almost 85% of the fantasy teams out there. While these two are in great form and likely to score big for India, Avishka Fernando would lead the visitors’ batting attack.
- While Isuru Udana bats lower down the order, he’s handy with the bat and would likely bowl 4 overs with the ball. He and Ravindra Jadeja have crucial roles to play as all-rounders for their respective teams.
- Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah will lead the bowling attack for Sri Lanka and India respectively. While 88% of the fantasy teams have selected Bumrah, Malinga leads the bowling attack for 57% of the fantasy teams.
Fantasy Team Prediction
- Wicket-Keeper – Rishabh Pant, Kusal Perera
- Batsmen – Avishka Fernando, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul
- All-rounder – Isuru Udana, Ravindra Jadeja
- Bowler – L Malinga, J Bumrah, Navdeep Saini
- Captain – Virat Kohli
- Vice-Captain – J Bumrah