SL vs IND Match Prediction: Who Will Win Today IND vs SL ODI Match? 1st ODI, Sri Lanka tour of India 2023

SL vs IND Match Prediction: Who Will Win Today IND vs SL ODI Match? 1st ODI, Sri Lanka tour of India 2023. India are hosting the 1st ODI of the World Cup Year 2023 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, against Sri Lanka. The SL vs IND match will be played on 10th January, where key Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul will be back in the squad for SL vs IND ODIs.

India played 24 ODIs in 2022, including a home series against West Indies and South Africa. India won 5 out of 6 home games. Since 2017, India and Sri Lanka have faced each other 13 times, and Sri Lanka emerged victorious on 3 occasions.

India vs Sri Lanka, SL vs IND Image Source: Twitter

The Sri Lankan team has struggled with the ODI format for the last few years. They managed to draw the ODI series played against Afghanistan recently. But to face a star-studded Indian side that too on Indian soil will be a massive task for them while playing the 1st ODI of 2023.

In July 2021, India played a 3-match ODI series on an India tour to Sri Lanka and registered a victory by 2-1. In the first 2 matches, the Indian unit comfortably chased down the target but lost the last game while defending the total. Yuzvendra Chahal was the leading wicket-taker on that tour, with 5 wickets in 3 innings.

Indian unit has been struggling with their bowling unit because of injury concerns. Jasprit Bumrah has been out of action since September because of a stress reaction in his back.

But his recovery had gone satisfactorily, according to the BCCI, which had initially included him in the squad for Sri Lanka ODIs. But he was later ruled out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka on fitness grounds.

Though the Indian side is facing issues with the bowling department, the team’s batting unit has a lot of backups for each position.

Hardik Panyda and Shreyas Iyer — Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer (Image Credit: Twitter)

Shreyas Iyer, the leading run scorer for India in 2022, is looking forward to carrying that momentum in 2023. He has scored 429 runs in the last 9 ODI games. Looking at the current squad, the team has good depth in the batting and bowling unit. The inclusion of Hardik Pandya in the unit will strengthen the batting order in depth.

Sri Lanka played all the 3 ODI series against Zimbabwe, Australia, and Afghanistan at home in 2022. They will face the Indian team on an away series starting on 10th January 2023.

Though Sri Lanka have a good ODI record against other teams at home, the Indian team defeated them in 2012, 2017, and 2021. India also defeated Sri Lanka by 2-1 in 2018 when Sri Lanka was on a tour to India. In the last ODI series between these 2 sides, Avishka Fernando was the leading run scorer, with 159 runs in the 3 innings at an average of 53.

Avishka Fernando (Image Credit: Twitter)

The Sri Lankan side is looking forward to balancing the core strength of the squad ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be played in Indian Sub Continent. The SL vs IND ODI series against India might help them achieve their aims before the World Cup 2023. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis need to shine with the bat as these two are key batters for them ahead of a series against India.

Wanindu Hasaranga has been looking in good form since last year and is consistently picking wickets in the white ball format. He needs to deliver better with the ball if they want to put pressure on the Indian middle order in SL vs IND ODIs.

After a close 2-1 win in the SL vs IND T20I series, India will take on Sri Lanka in the 1st ODI with the big names back in the team. Hardik Pandya-led young Indian side won the 3-match T20I series against India by 2-1. Now, big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul are set to return for the 3-match SL vs IND ODI series.

Shreyas Iyer was the top scorer for team India in ODIs in 2022, with 724 runs in 15 innings with a century and 6 fifties to his name. Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 688 runs in 2022, has been sidelined while Shubman Gill scored 638 runs in 12 matches while averaging 70.88.

Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal Photo Credit: (Getty Images)

In bowling, Mohammed Siraj was the top wicket-taker for team India in 2022 with 24 scalps to his name in 15 innings. Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, and Hardik Pandya will constitute the pace department in SL vs IND ODIs. The spin department will be led by the return of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, along with Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in SL vs IND ODIs.

Pathum Nissanka scored the most runs for Sri Lanka in 2022, registering 491 runs in 11 innings with a ton and 4 fifties to his name. Charith Asalanka was also a constant with 426 runs in 10 innings while Kusal Mendis scored 388 runs in 11 innings, remaining unbeaten thrice.

Right-arm leg break bowler Jeffrey Vandersay was the top wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in ODIs in 2022, registering 14 wickets to his name in 7 matches. Wanindu Hasaranga played only 5 ODIs in 2022 and still managed to pick 10 wickets while Chamika Karunaratne registered an equal number of wickets in 8 innings.

Rohit Sharma wants to find the 11 best players from the three ODIs with 17 matches to go before the big event. Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t hit the straps, so the middle order is a big concern. It’s likely that KL Rahul will get another shot in the middle order in this SL vs IND ODI series.

SL vs IND 1st ODI:- Sri Lanka Predicted XI:- Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay.

SL vs IND 1st ODI:- India Predicted XI:- Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

SL vs IND Match Prediction: Who Will Win Today IND vs SL ODI Match? 1st ODI, Sri Lanka tour of India 2023

Despite the fact that the Rohit Sharma-led Sri Lankan team is likely the favorite, it cannot be denied that the hosts will put up a tough fight. When playing at home, Team India is a formidable team that can ruin any opponent’s chances at any time. As a result, India is likely to prevail in the first ODI against Sri Lanka.

By looking at both squads, India have an upper hand against Sri Lanka in the upcoming ODI series. Indian unit has a serious depth in the batting unit with the return of KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer.

The Sri Lankan side is lacking good all-rounders in the squad. Hardik Pandya will be the key all-rounder India have which might create a huge impact on the game. After ending 2022 with an ODI series loss against Bangladesh, Rohit Sharma finally has his full squad available with him. Barring Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Rishabh Pant, and Prasidh Krishna, all players are available for selection.