SAJEEWA JAYAKODY
COLOMBO : Sri Lanka made a crucial alteration in their lineup. Leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha replaced all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva. Despite winning the toss, the Sri Lankan team chose to field first, a move that puzzled cricket experts in an unexpected turn of events at the ICC World Cup match held at the Wankhede on Thursday.
The decision to field first on what was considered a batting-friendly pitch surprised many, especially as the conditions were favorable for seam bowlers in the night. On the other side, India stuck with an unchanged lineup. Captain Rohit Sharma expressed that had he won the toss, he would have chosen to bat first.
Dushan Hemantha, a leg-spinning all-rounder, earned his second appearance in the World Cup. However, despite performing well in the Asia Cup against the Indian batting lineup, there was no place for Dunith Wellalage in the team.
Kusal Mendis, the Sri Lankan captain, confirmed the change after winning the toss, stating, “One change today, Dhananjaya de Silva not playing today, Dushan Hemantha is playing.”
In contrast, Indian captain Rohit Sharma remarked, “I would have batted first. A lot of support batting first. And later, under lights, a lot of support for the bowler, nice for the seamers to bowl.”
The match generated considerable anticipation and interest with these unexpected tactical choices, setting the stage for an intriguing face-off between the two sides.
India: 1 Rohit Sharma (c), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (WK), 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed Siraj.
Sri Lanka: 1 Pahum Nissanka, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (C & WK), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dushan Hemantha, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan Madushanka.
Umpires: Chris Brown (NZ), Paul Reiffel (AUS)
TV Umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS).
Reserve Umpire: Richard Illingworth (ENG)
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ).
