Odisha one-day: Sri Lanka wins toss, decides to field

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Nov 2:

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field in the first of the five-match Micromax Cup one-day international series against India at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha’s Millennium city, this afternoon.

“We would like to have a bowl first because of the dew factor in the evening,” Mathews said after winning the toss.

Stand-in Indian captain Virat Kohli made it clear that his team too would have liked to bowl first had he won the toss. “I believe the dew factor does come into play here in the evening. But having lost the toss, we would try and put up a sizeable score. It looks like a good batting pitch,” he said.

Past record at the Barabati suggests that teams batting second have a greater chance of winning here. Out of the 16 completed matches here, the team batting second has won 11 times.

India have left out Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Murali Vijay. Shikhar Dhawan came out with Ajinkya Rahane to open the innings.

Sri Lanka left out Nuwan Kulashekhara, their most experienced bowler who has gone without a wicket for seven matches on a trot and picked Lahiru Gamage for what would be his debut match.

The Teams:

India: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Akshar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Ishant Sharma

Sri Lanka: 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Ashan Priyanjan, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Dhammika Prasad, , 11 Lahiru Gamage