World champions India will face Sri Lanka today (Friday) in their second ODI match of the Asia Cup 2014 at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. The day/night affair begins at 2.00 pm BST (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Bangladesh Television and private satellite channel Channel 9 will telecast the match live from the Stadium.
Earlier, Sri Lanka edged past reigning champions Pakistan by 12 runs in their first match at the same venue on February 25.
On the other hand, India defeated hosts Bangladesh by six wickets in their first match at the same venue on February 26.
Before today’s clash, India met Sri Lanka in 143 ODI matches. Of them, India recorded 78 wins while Sri Lanka posted 53 wins, 11 matches were abandoned and one match ended in a tie.
Ajinkya Rahane of India said, “Joey [Dawes, the bowling coach] is really working hard with the bowlers in the nets, and that is really crucial. On this wicket, I think the bowlers did really well. Bhuvi and Shami later on bowled wicket to wicket, and it was not easy to hit that length.”
On the other hand, Skipper Angelo Mathews commented on their key weapon Lasith Malinga that “We always bank on him in pressure situations. He’s been our best bowler for so many years, and we always throw the ball to him, and he knows exactly what he has to do.”
India (probable): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (Captain.), Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik (Wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron/Ishwar Pandey.
Sri Lanka (probable): Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara (Wicketkeeper), Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (Captain.), Thisara Perera, Chaturanga de Silva, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal.
