What5th ODI of the five-match series between India and Sri Lanka
When November 16th, 2014
WhereJSCA International Stadium, Ranchi
The Teams
IndiaStand-in captain Virat Kohli has time and again mentioned the word āruthlessā in his media interactions. One begins to think what would Kohli call Rohit Sharmaās approach in the Eden Gardens where he scaled Mount 200 for the second time. Rohitās innings of 264 in the 4th ODI bore no mercy on a depleted Lankan side, had aggression, beautifully laced shots and last but not the least - ruthlessness. This side seems to be responding to their captainās needs and how. Four out of four is a mark of dominance and relentlessness by a young Indian side that would be looking to end the series with a five nil reading against their name. The new names in the side barring Rohit Sharma have hardly got a chance to make a statement in the limited opportunity theyāve got. Robin Uthappa though played perfect foil to an on-song Rohit and would be looking for a better opportunity in the final ODI with the bat. Karn Sharma was expensive and went without a wicket and it would be interesting to see if he does get a game in the final ODI. Also, it was heartening to see Dhawal Kulkarni pick up four wickets an effort that almost got unnoticed after the Rohit Sharma show. Two new faces in Vinay Kumar and Kedar Jadhav are yet to be tested and whether they would find a place in the eleven will be known at the coin toss on Sunday. With India stamping their authority on all four games, there are chances that the home side makes it a clean sweep.
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews in his post-match press conference described the series of losses as embarrassing and depressing. It sure would be tough being captain of a side that doesnāt look like winning a single game against a strong Indian team. Itās almost like a story being played on repeat which refuses to change even as time goes by. Barring mini brilliances from Mahela Jayawardene and the captain himself, none of the other Lanka players have looked impressive. They have not been able to turn the fortunes in their favour till now and a reversal on Sunday in the fifth and the final ODI looks bleak. With the kind of form India are in, Sri Lanka would need to do the extraordinary or wish for an extremely poor day on the field for their opponents. Mathews reiterated the fact that the team needed to work on all three departments of the game. Rightly so, the bowling was made to look ordinary, catches were being dropped (we all know what happened next when Rohit Sharma was dropped while batting on 4) and the batsmen looked listless. The confidence would have been dented but Sri Lanka would be looking to end the series with a win and bring a few smiles back in the dressing room.
Key Players
IndiaRobin Uthappa played the perfect supporting act to Rohit Sharma giving him as much strike as possible as Sharma marched his way to a double hundred. In the final ODI, Uthappa would be want to bat a lot more overs and showcase the form that he has displayed in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. If Uthappa gets good amount of time in the middle, he could make a strong case for himself in the upcoming ODI series in Australia.
Sri LankaAngelo Mathews has tried his best to keep the energy levels high in his team so far. Unfortunately his efforts have not yielded the results that he would have wanted. He looks like the lone ranger in the team and he would be looking to lead his troops with his head held high. If the team can give him a bit more assistance and put up a good show overall, Sri Lanka would be leaving Indian shores with a win under their belt.
Stat Overview 1. Average first innings score at Ranchi: 225 2. Average second innings score at Ranchi: 157**excluding incomplete innings
3. Result summary at Ranchi:
|
Matches
|
Won by side batting 1st
|
Won by side batting 2nd
|
No Result
|
|
Overall
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
4. Head-to-head:
|
Matches
|
Played
|
Ind won
|
SL won
|
Tied
|
NR
|
|
Overall
|
148
|
82
|
54
|
1
|
11
|
|
In India
|
47
|
33
|
11
|
0
|
3
|
|
At Ranchi
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
5. Last meeting between both sides at Ranchi:
These two sides have not met each other at Ranchi before.
6. Form guide (most recent listed first):
India: Won, Won, Won, Won, Won
Sri Lanka: Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost, Won
7. Pace vs Spin at Ranchi (Who has been more effective)
|
Wkts
|
Avg
|
SR
|
RPO
|
Best
|
|
Pace
|
10
|
36.60
|
43.40
|
5.06
|
3-42
|
|
Spin
|
11
|
22.64
|
28.55
|
4.76
|
3-19
|
Trivia
The last and only time India whitewashed Sri Lanka in a bilateral series was in 1982 when India won 3-0.
Angelo Mathews and Virat Kohli are the highest run-scorers in ODIs this year with 923 and 915 runs respectively.
The Squads
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, R. Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Vinay Kumar, Kedar Jadhav.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (captain), Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Ashan Priyanjan, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lahiru Gamage, Chaturanga de Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Ajanta Mendis, Shaminda Eranga
