India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI: India looking ahead, looking above in Mohali

Written by Vishal Menon | Mohali | Updated: December 13 2017 8:46 am India find themselves in the unusual predicament of having to play catch-up in an ODI series. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh) Related News Live Cricket Score India vs Sri Lanka Live Score 2nd ODI in Mohali: India lose toss to bat first against Sri LankaIndia vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI: Is Washington Sundar set for India debut?India vs Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka 200 percent ready to win the series says Thisara PereraSector 64 in Mohali is blanketed by a thick grey foam of stationary clouds that have devoured the morning sun. The incessant overnight rain has washed the dusty brown pathways and brought temperatures down further giving this satellite town a damp wintery feel. At the main entrance of the IS Bindra PCA Stadium cops are busy sipping milky chai from paper cups while out in the centre ground officials are working overtime taking utmost care to ensure that most of the lush green outfield is neatly covered. As the venue gears up to host the second ODI between India and Sri Lanka in less than 24 hours they remain optimistic that rain wouldn t play spoilsport. They are buoyed by reports from the meteorological department which predicts that conditions would improve considerably and play would start as scheduled. The rain was expected on Monday and Tuesday but the weather is expected to clear by tomorrow. So there s not much doubt about play getting affected. The pitch and the outfield are well covered and there aren t any puddles. Even if there is drizzle in the morning we are well equipped to clear the ground within half an hour a PCA official says. The Indian team which practised for close to three hours in the morning would be hoping for a clear sky and sunshine when the match gets underway. Despite the damp conditions Mohali is not as cold as Dharamsala where Sri Lanka s seam bowlers led admirably by Suranga Lakmal ran through India. Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera believes the pitch will be good for batting. But the damp conditions in Mohali will keep Lakmal & Co. interested in another encore. Rohit Sharma though will have other ideas. In his first series as India captain he would want his young team especially the middle order to step up and show more responsibility. Barring MS Dhoni none of the batsmen did anything substantial in the first ODI. We as a team want to thrive in these kinds of conditions and come out good Rohit Sharma said. We are not always going to play on flat pitches all the time and you have to understand your game and find a way to come out from that situation. Today was not an ideal day for all our batters but it was an eye-opener for all of us. Hopefully in the next few games we can regroup and come out with a better batting performance he explained after the debacle in Dharamsala. The Dhoni blueprint Instead of hoping for conditions to turn in their favour India s batsmen would do well to take a leaf out of Dhoni s book and watch how he chalked out his half-century in Dharamsala in utterly trying circumstances. Without even an ounce of support from the other end the former skipper scored 65 out of his team s 112 the most runs scored by an Indian batsmen when all 11 players had batted. As the Sri Lankan seamers bowled disciplined lines around the off stump making Indians play on most occasions Dhoni showed that with a bit of pluck runs could be scored even in Dharamsala s seamer-friendly conditions. Instead of allowing the Lankan bowlers to dominate he tried little adjustments to put them off like the odd skip down the track followed by a gentle nudge here and a nurdle there. He always looked to take charge of proceedings in contrast to some of his younger team mates like Shreyas Iyer and Dinesh Karthik (for all his experience) who were shoddy with their footwork against the moving ball not knowing whether to play on the front foot or back. Such indecisiveness cost India the match. Suffice to note that Rohit s team is facing the heat in Mohali s cool conditions. In the absence of their talisman Virat Kohli others in the top and middle order such as Iyer Karthik and Manish Pandey have done precious little to inspire the skipper s confidence. However the team will be reluctant to make wholesale changes in their batting line-up. Rohit after all has always advocated giving youngsters a decent run. In such a scenario with the series on the line the onus would be on the young batsmen to come good thereby easing the burden on Dhoni their senior lieutenant in the middle order. It s also a great opportunity for the likes of Iyer Pandey and Karthik to stake claims. Sri Lanka are chasing history in Mohali. A win here will give them their first bilateral series win over India in two decades. Rohit on the other hand would be looking for his first win as India captain. For all the latest Sports News download Indian Express App More Related News India vs Sri Lanka: MPCA announces ticket rates for T20I tie on December 22 India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI: If we play like we did in Dharamsala we ll win series says Thisara Perera Tags: Sri Lanka tour of India 2017 Mohali: All of 18 Washington Sundar says an unflinching belief in his game has helped him break into the Indian team. Not so long ago Sundar flunked the Yo-Yo test which has to be cleared to make the national team but he worked hard on his fitness to convince the selectors. For any cricketer playing for India is the ultimate dream. As an 18-year-old I have got the opportunity to play for India and it is a great feeling. I trust a lot in my preparation and it has paid off. India s Washington Sundar during a practice session on the eve of the second ODI match against Sri Lanka. PTI Sundar first made the T20 team for the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka before being named as a last-minute replacement for the injured Kedar Jadhav in the ongoing ODIs. Sundar who bowls off-spin and bats left-handed is unlikely to get a game in the series but is relishing his time in the Indian dressing room. It has been my fourth day to be precise but I do not feel that I just became part of the team. I knew a lot of players before have played with Mahi bhai (Dhoni) in the IPL. They all made me feel at home said Sundar ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Though he failed the fitness test Sundar said he always believed in his ability. What if he is just 18. Sundar attracted attention with his performances in the IPL helping Pune Supergiants reach the final. But it was not enough to play for India so he worked harder on all aspects of his game. I went back prepared a lot trained a lot of aspects where I needed to. It paid off. I started bowling more and spent extra time on my batting. And fitness also as you know it has become a very important aspect of this Indian team said the Tamil Nadu all-rounder who made his first-class debut last year before playing his first List A game this March. Talking about his potential role in the Indian team Sundar knows he has to perform both with bat and ball whenever he gets an opportunity. I would definitely have to be ready to bowl 10 overs of off-spin and contribute with the bat no matter what position the team is in. Named as Jadhav s replacement Sundar joined the team in Dharamsala where the batting failed miserably in pace-friendly conditions. It is not as cold here in Mohali but cold enough for the ball to do a bit. It rained heavily yesterday bringing the extra chill in the air as the groundstaff covered the entire field of play. Barring Dhoni the Indian batsmen were all at sea against the moving ball in Dharamsala but Sundar said such kind of surfaces are elsewhere too in the country. You do see a lot of wickets like that. In a domestic season you get to play two games on tracks similar to Dharamsala. The way Mahi bhai batted was great he went on the counter-attack. Another 60-70 runs would have made a lot of difference said Sundar. Published Date: Dec 12 2017 08:27 pm | Updated Date: Dec 12 2017 08:27 pm Tags : #Cricket #India vs sri lanka #India vs sri lanka 2017 #Indian national cricket team #Indian premier league #Ipl #Kedar jadhav #Mahendra singh dhoni #Ms dhoni #Rising pune supergiant #Sri lankan national cricket team #Washington sundar Team India is for a change not in the limelight as far as cricket is concerned. Captain Virat Kohli and long-time girlfriend Anushka Sharma got married in Italy on Monday and the entire attention of cricket fans the media and everyone else is by an large focused on that. That leaves the side in a relatively unfamiliar situation of preparing for a must-win match as they take on Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali today. The humiliating loss in the 1st ODI in Dharamsala was not just a danger signal for the series but also raises questions about the series in South Africa where the conditions won t be great for the batsmen. (LIVE SCORECARD) Mohali won t be as cold as Dharamsala but the pacers should come into play considering it is another 11:30 a.m. start to the day-night affair. In that case it will be another test for the Indian batsmen if the home team happens to bat first in a must-win contest. Barring old war-horse MS Dhoni the highly-rated batsmen seemed like sitting ducks every time Suranga Lakmal pitched the ball up in the off-stump corridor. After the experienced Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan fell early it was an ideal opportunity for the likes of Shreyas Iyer Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey to weather the initial storm and make a big score. However they all came a cropper and if it was not for Dhoni s fighting 65 India could well be out for their lowest ever total. If it was one person who would be gutted looking at his teams performance it would be Kohli who opted out of the series to get married to Anushka in Italy. Live Updates between India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI straight from Mohali Punjab 11:36 IST: Four! Full length delivery from Lakmal Dhawan drives it beautifully through covers. Dhawan is in a mood to make amends. 11:35 IST: Maiden over for Mathews to start with. India will be careful before they change gears. 11:32 IST: First ball good length delivery from Mathews a little hint of movement Rohit throws his bat at the ball but gets beaten for pace. 11:31 IST: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opening the batting for India. Angelo Mathews starting the proceedings for Sri Lanka. 11:30 IST: Alright then! Game time. 11:25 IST: Both teams are on the ground for their respective national anthems. It is a huge game for India as they will look to bounce back from the shock loss they suffered in the first match. Rohit Sharma and team will look to make amends when they come out to bat. 11:23 IST: Washington Sundar is the seventh youngest India debutante. 11:20 IST: Here is how MS Dhoni comfortably beat young Hardik Pandya in a 100 metre dash. A quick 100 metre dash between @msdhoni and @hardikpandya7. Any guesses on who won it in the end? #TeamIndia #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/HpboL6VFa6 BCCI (@BCCI) December 13 2017 11:14 IST: Team India playing XI: Sri Lanka have won the toss and will bowl first. Sri Lanka are unchanged India get in Washington Sundar in place of Kuldeep Yadav #TeamIndia #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/BqfYy4RJ4Y BCCI (@BCCI) December 13 2017 11:12 IST: While Sri Lanka is playing with an unchanged side Washington Sundar makes his debut for India. We have a new kid on the block. Washington Sundar is all set to make his ODI debut here in Mohali #TeamIndia #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/VxquVkgSIa BCCI (@BCCI) December 13 2017 11:00 IST: Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera wins toss elects to field against India at Mohali. 10:55 IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the match between India and Sri Lanka straight from Punjab. Rohit leading the side in Kohli s absence was not amused either in his first ODI as captain. Though he promised that the team will learn from Dharamsala debacle and bounce back in the remaining two games. It is important to thrive in these conditions and come out good. It is an eye-opener for all of us Rohit had said after the seven-wicket loss. He is unlikely to tinker with the playing eleven but there is a possibility that Ajinkya Rahane is picked to shore up the inexperienced batting especially the middle-order. 17:05 (IST) Can Kohli score a double century? Will Rohit Sharma gets more runs under his belt before the South Africa tour? How will the Indian lower middle-order bat? Can Sri Lanka bounce back? A lot of questions ahead of Day 2. Join us tomorrow to find out the answers. Till then it s goodbye! Full Scorecard