Internet Desk: Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be the center of attraction as he is all set to play his milestone 300th ODI match when the visitors face Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI at Colombo tomorrow. The Men in Blue would be eyeing to clinch another win tomorrow as they are inch closer to complete another whitewash over the hosts after the Test series.
Regarded as one of the greatest finishers of all-time in the limited overs format, Mahendra Sing Dhoni will join club of legendary Indian cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar (463), Rahul Dravid (344), Mohammed Azharuddin (334), Sourav Ganguly (311) and Yuvraj Singh (304) who had played 300 matches before him.
His unbeaten knocks of 45 and 67 under pressure is a proof that he is still the best finisher in the Indian cricket team and his eyes are on playing the 50-over World Cup in 2019.
From being a world class finisher to playing a second fiddle to Rohit Sharmas and Bhuvneshwar Kumars, Dhoni has added another dimension to his game.
Although one can’t dismiss the fact that a rag-tag Sri Lankan bowling attack, save mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya, has failed to keep up the pressure on Dhoni and Co after making initial inroads.
The series already sealed with an unassailable 3-0 lead, Virat Kohli’s next aim would be to give a chance to players who have only warmed the benches so far such as Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur.
Kohli himself had a couple of low scoring games and he would look to get back to scoring some more runs along with KL Rahul, who has not exactly looked comfortable in an unfamiliar No. 4 position.
It will be interesting if the team management decides to give Pandey a go instead of Jadhav. The only thing that can save him is his flat off-breaks, which gives Kohli an additional bowling option. Jadhav has picked three wickets in the series so far.
Pacer Thakur has looked sharp in the nets but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have only played three matches and would not like to take rest.
The India captain has already hinted that he wants to rotate players and chinaman Kuldeep may get a look-in. In that case, either Yuzvendra Chahal or Axar Patel will make way.
While India have some ‘happy problems’ to deal with, Sri Lanka are in deep trouble, trying to field a potent first XI.
To begin with, the selection committee headed by Sanath Jayasuriya has resigned. Sri Lanka Cricket has accepted their resignation.
However, they will continue to hold office until the end of this series but there will be intense spotlight on their selection decisions as has been the case for a while now.
Dinesh Chandimal has been ruled out of the series with a hairline fracture on his right thumb after enduring a hit in the previous ODI.
To add to their headache, stand-in skipper Chamara Kapugedara has been ruled out of the remainder of the series as well, owing to an aggravated back injury (he received medical attention whilst batting during the third ODI).
Lasith Malinga will lead the side in the fourth ODI, with suspended captain Upul Tharanga expected to handle the reins in the final ODI on September 3 as well as the solitary T20I on September 6.