Sri Lankan captain and keeper Kusal Mendis has won the toss and has elected to bowl first in the much-anticipated 2023 World Cup clash against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With all-rounder Hardik Pandya still sidelined, Team India have gone ahead with an unchanged side as a semi-final spot is within sights.
Sri Lakan captain Mendis reasoned that the dew is likely to make an appearance later in the day, prompting them to field first at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. He also announced one change to their line-up, bringing in leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha for batting all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva.
By contrast, Rohit stated that he would have batted first as it looks like an excellent pitch to bat on. The right-handed batter also expects the seamers to come into play under the lights. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami wreaked havoc against England as they shared 7 wickets between them in Lucknow bowling the opposition out for 129.
The home side will officially qualify for the semi-finals should they beat the Island nation on Thursday. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will eye victory to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Playing XI of both teams:
India playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
Sri Lanka playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka.
