India will aim to make a clean sweep against Sri Lanka when the two sides meet for the third and final ODI on Friday at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
India beat the home team in first two ODIs to seal the series. The visitors registered a big win in the first game, overcoming their neighbours by seven wickets. In the second match, the chase turned out to be a tough one for the Indians and Sri Lankans kept picking wickets at regular intervals but a gutsy knock from Deepak Chahar broke the Sri Lankan hearts. India manage to achieve the target in the last over of the game.
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India’s Shikhar Dhawan plays a shot during the first one day international cricket match between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, July 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
In the third ODI, hosts will look to finish on a high so that they can carry the momentum into the T20 series that starts on 25 July and will be played at the same venue. Sri Lankans were a much improved side in the second ODI, played well with both bat and the ball but it was the finish that mattered and that’s where they succumbed, not able to handle the nerves. They will be hoping for a turnaround in the third ODI.
Indians may bring some changes as Rahul Dravid had earlier said that he is looking to given everyone a go on the tour. With series sealed, we may see the likes of Rahul Chahar, Sanju Samson get a game.
As far as weather is concerned, the Accuweather app tells us that it will mostly be cloudy in Sri Lankan capital with showers also expected throughout the day. It seems the third ODI will regularly be interrupted. The app says that six hours of rain is expected in Colombo today and the weather is going to remain the same for the next few days which means even the start of T20I series will be affected by rain.
The third ODI will begin at 3 pm IST and you can watch it live on Sony Sports Network and follow our LIVE blog for over-by-over commentary plus scorecard.
