Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis won the toss and opted to bat first against hosts India in an ODI World Cup 2023 match at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
The 1996 World Cup winners Sri Lanka made one change in their playing XI as Dushan Hemantha came in for Dhananjaya de Silva. On the other hand, the Indian team has not changed the winning combination.
“We are going to bowl first. I think the pitch will be better for batting in the second part. Everyone did their best in the last few games. Hopefully they will continue to do the same today. One change, DDS is not playing, Hemantha is playing,” said Kusal Mendis at the toss.
Meanwhile, India skipper Rohit Sharma said they would have batted first if they had won the toss.
“Would have batted first, good pitch to bat on. Obviously some assistance to start with but under lights there will be good assistance for our pacers. Great honour, great moment to lead the team (first match as Indian captain at home ground),” said Rohit.
“It’s important for us to not get carried away by the performances we put in. Same team as the last game,” he added.
Having won six games on the trot, hosts India come into the game as favourites and would like to continue the winning streak. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have won just two wins from six games.
Playing XIs:
India: 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: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka