Nagpur, Dec 17 (Inditop.com) All-rounder Yuvraj Singh has been again ruled out while opening batsman Virender Sehwag is fit as India take on Sri Lanka in the second One-day International at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here Friday.
Yuvraj, who missed the first ODI in Rajkot with a finger fracture, is yet to recover from his injury and is also down with flu while Sehwag has recovered from the ankle injury he suffered while fielding in the last match.
After the record run feast in Rajkot, where more than 800 runs were scored for the second time in ODIs, bowlers won’t have a respite here as the VCA Stadium also promises a run-friendly wicket.
Chief curator Praveen Hingnekar, however, promised that it won’t be a repeat of Rajkot, but said that a score of 300 runs or more can be achieved. Since it is a day-night match, toss will be a crucial factor.
“I expect scores of over 300 for sure. But the fast bowlers will definitely get some help early on with the new ball, and fielding first may not be a bad option,” he said.
In such a scenario, the spotlight will be again on Sehwag, who struck a whirlwind 146 in Rajkot, as India will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. There won’t be many changes in the side that won in Rajkot, but medium pacer Sudip Tyagi may make his debut in place of Praveen Kumar.
On a perfect batting track, Sri Lankans are in a spot of bother. Their two most experienced bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando have been ruled out with injuries. They have brought in two rookie off-spinners, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Suraj Randiv in the squad in Muralitharan’s absence.
After missing out the first match due to an injury, fast bowler Lasith Malinga is likely to make a comeback to bolster the attack. Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis can also come in as a replacement for Muralitharan.
Teams:
India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain-wicketkeeper), Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (captain-wicketkeeper), Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Chanaka Welegedara, Ajantha Mendis, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Lasith Malinga, Suraj Randiv and Suranga Lakmal.
Match starts 1.00 p.m.
