India and Sri Lanka are set to take on each other in match No. 33 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Thursday, November 2. The match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While the two teams take each other on the playing field, the fantasy cricket managers have a chance to pick their favourite players and form their teams. The performance of the players on the field will translate to points for each fantasy team picked, and the manager with the team with the most points stands a chance to win attractive prizes. (World Cup 2023 points table)
India are unbeaten in the tournament so far with six wins on the trot. After a commanding performance against Australia in their opening match, India went on to beat Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand and England in the group matches, strengthening their position on top of the table. A terrific batting show from Rohit Sharma (87 off 101 balls) followed by a brilliant spell from Mohammed Shami (4/22) helped India beat England by 100 runs in their last match.
Sri Lanka are in the second half of the table currently with only two wins in four matches. Their only wins came against Netherlands and England, but a defeat to Afghanistan in their last match jeopardised their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka batted first and were bowled out for 241 runs in 49.3 overs. Afghanistan chased down the 242-run target with ease powered by half-centuries from Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai and the 1996 champions now need to win all of their matches to stand a chance.
Probable playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka
Weather conditions and pitch report
The wicket at the Wankhede Stadium offers great assistance to the batting unit and a flat deck is expected for this clash. The ground dimensions are not very big as well, which will be a cause of trouble for the bowlers. The average score batting first at this venue is 342 and India have a decent record at this venue, winning 11 out of 20 matches.
The weather conditions will challenge the players in the afternoon, but it will settle as the day progresses. The temperatures in Mumbai are expected to range between 19 degrees to 32 degrees.
IND vs SL fantasy XI
Wicket-keepers: Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, KL Rahul
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Pathum Nissanka
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Dilshan Madushanka
Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama and KL Rahul have been among the runs regularly in this tournament among keeper-batters. While Samarawickrama is their leading run-scorer with 331 runs in six matches, Kusal Mendis has scored 268 runs at a strike-rate of 127.01. Rahul too has been among the runs, scoring 216 runs at an average of 108.00.
In the batting department, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two of the leading run-scorers in the tournament. Rohit has scored 398 runs, while Kohli 354 runs to his credit. Among the Lankan batters, Pathum Nissanka has been in fine form scoring 289 runs at an average of 57.80.
Ravindra Jadeja is capable of contributing points with the bat and ball. Jadeja has scored 39* against New Zealand to help the team see through, while also picking eight wickets in six matches.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been lethal in the tournament so far. Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament for India with 14 wickets, while Shami has nine wickets in two matches. Among spinners Kuldeep Yadav is in good form with the ball, picking up 10 wickets. Sri Lanka’s Dilsha Madushanka gets a nod as well, who has picked 13 wickets in six matches so far.
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is India’s leading run-scorer in the tournament with 398 runs in six matches, which includes a century against Afghanistan and two half-centuries. He is also batting at a terrific strike-rate of 119.16 in the tournament. He is the best choice for captaincy in this match.
Vice-captain: Virat Kohli
Since Wankhede is expected to produce a run-fest, the better option for vice-captain would be Virat Kohli, who is right up there among the best run-scorers with 354 runs at an outstanding average of 88.50, which includes one century and three fifties.
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