In a pivotal match for both teams, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the third and final ODI in Colombo. With Sri Lanka holding a 1-0 series lead, a victory in this game would secure their first bilateral ODI series win against India since 1997.
Charith Asalanka, the Sri Lankan captain, had no hesitation in choosing to bat first, a strategy that had proven successful for his team in the previous matches. The team made one change, with Maheesh Theekshana coming in for Akila Dhananjaya.
On the other side, India made two changes to their lineup. Riyan Parag made his ODI debut, replacing Arshdeep Singh, while Rishabh Pant returned to the side after recovering from a car accident, taking over wicketkeeping duties from KL Rahul. This move added an extra spinner to the Indian side while strengthening their batting lineup.
As the game began, it was evident that spin would play a significant role on the dry pitch. Both teams opted for spin-heavy attacks, with India fielding four spinners and Sri Lanka sticking to just one seamer.
Despite the challenges posed by the pitch, Charith Asalanka expressed his desire for a batsman to step up and score a century in these conditions. The weather seemed clear at the start of the match, with a potential threat of rain later in the afternoon.
The lineups for both teams were as follows:
Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Janith Liyanage, 7 Dunith Wellalage, 8 Kamindu Mendis, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Asitha Fernando
India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Washington Sundar, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed Siraj
With both teams looking to secure a crucial victory, the stage was set for an intense battle between bat and ball in Colombo. All eyes were on the players as they stepped onto the field, ready to give their all for their respective nations.
