India beat Sir Lanka by six wickets in the first ODI of the five-match series which saw Sanath Jayasuriya score 107, his 28th ODI century.
India might have beaten Sri Lanka 3-2 last August with a young bunch of cricketers but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said seniors Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag would be the key to the visitors' fortunes in the one-day series starting in Dambulla.
The 3-2 win last year fresh in mind, India will seek to maintain their supremacy while revenge will be on top of Sri Lanka's mind when the neighbours square off in the first One-Day International of the five-match series in Dambulla on Wednesday. Under the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India have been in ominous form in both forms of the game and the 5-0 whitewash against England in the ODI series at home gives a fair indication of the side's might.
Having put the pressure on the hosts with two consecutive wins, India is likely to retain the winning combination when they go into the fourth cricket one dayer against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday seeking to clinch the series by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead.
After two horrendous outings on the low and slow Dambulla pitch, Indian batsmen will take a lot of heart from the batting-friendly wicket at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo when they take on Sri Lanka in the third cricket one-dayer on Sunday.
India registered a three-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in a low-scoring second ODI to level the five-match series 1-1.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field in the second one-day international of the five-match series against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Wednesday. Praveen Kumar has come in for Pragyan Ojha while Subramaniam Badrinath is making his debut, replacing Gautam Gambhir, who was ruled out due to a stiff neck.
Sri Lanka have recalled fast bowlers Dilhara Fernando and Farveez Maharoof for the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan next month. Fernando returns after recovering from a leg injury and Maharoof has recovered from a side strain, although the selectors have decided he should not be rushed back for the India series. All rounder Kaushal Weeraratne will replace Maharoof for the five-match one-day series against India which starts in Dambulla on August 18.
India will tour the island in July and August to play in three Tests and five One-Day Internationals. The six-week tour will includes two Test matches in Colombo and one at the newly renovated Galle International Stadium.
Jolted by the humiliating defeat in the series opener, India may opt to shuffle their struggling batting line-up as they go into the second one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Wednesday hoping to find a way to regain their winning touch.
India's ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday admittted that he made a mistake in gauging the wicket and elected to bat in the morning which cost the side its first match against Sri Lanka in Dambulla.
A wounded India would bank on its young blood to make amends for their humiliating loss in the Test cricket series against Sri Lanka as it takes on the hosts in the first of their five one-dayers in Dambulla on Monday.
Veteran Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan bid farewell to ODI cricket by scoring a 65-ball 42 in his final game against Australia in the third ODI in Dambulla. Earlier this week, Dilshan announced that Sunday's third ODI would be his last in the 50-over format, before departing from Twenty20 internationals in Colombo on 9 September. The 39-year old will not be playing in the final two ODIs of the five-match series against Australia.
Australia stand-in skipper David Warner has admitted that he is usually the main 'culprit' whenever there is sledging going on but added that he understands the responsibility that comes with his new role.
The blast inside the private bus, heading to Anuradhapura from Kandy, occurred at 7.05 am local time at a bus stand in Dambulla town, located 148 km from the capital Colombo, the army said.
Skipper Mithali Raj played a captain's knock by smashing a superb 54 to steer India to a 29-run win against Sri Lanka in the Women's Cricket Asia Tournament in Dambulla on Saturday.
India carried its domination from the Test series into the One-day format and achieved its biggest ever win in terms of overs left while chasing a 200-plus total.
England beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the fourth one-day international in Colombo on Wednesday to go 3-1 up and win the series.
As India and Sri Lanka get set to duel in the make-shift ODI series, starting Sunday, Rajneesh Gupta gives us a look at how both teams stand in One-dayers.
The 35-year-old, Sri Lanka's most dangerous bowler, is recovering from a tendon strain in his right bicep, an injury that also ruled him out of the recent Twenty20 World Cup.
Australia captain Steve Smith is to leave the Sri Lanka series mid-way and return to Australia early and rest up for the upcoming series against South Africa, with his deputy David Warner to take over captaincy of the visitors' one-day and T20 teams for the remainder of the tour. The news comes as Australia suffered an 82-run defeat in the second ODI against Sri Lanka to leave the series finely poised at 1-1.
Match referee Mike Procter found Nehra guilty of breaching the code of conduct by pre-empting a decision by the umpire in Saturday's tri-series match against Sri Lanka.
The series, featuring South Africa, India and hosts Sri Lanka, will will be played entirely in Colombo from August 14-29.
India captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the opening game of the IndianOil Cup tri-series tournament
Pakistan will play two Tests and three ODIs next March and April.
Sourav Ganguly said he would do whatever he can to help Dravid do well as captain.
India's captain is happy that for the first time as captain he has an injury-free team at his disposal.
Ganguly, Laxman and Balaji were included in place of Yuvraj, YV Rao and Zaheer.
The hosts have hit nadir in both form and confidence, and, after a lop-sided 3-0 Test series victory, the script did not change much in the opening ODI, where India steamrolled the opposition by nine wickets.
The hosts named an unchanged squad for the third and fourth one-day internationals against Australia.
Nuwan Kulasekera and Dinusha Fernando join left-armer Chaminda Vaas in the attack.
