Sri Lanka in dire need of World Cup Super League points
India may continue to test their bench strength having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series
Big picture
India shut the door on Sri Lanka in the first ODI. In the second match, Sri Lanka failed to close out the game. And just like that, in a matter of three days, the fate of the series was sealed.Form guide
Sri Lanka LLLLW (Last five completed ODIs, most recent first)India WWWLW
In the spotlight
Hardik Pandya didn't bowl a single ball during the truncated IPL 2020. He sent down five overs in the first ODI here but on Tuesday, he was seen holding his back in his third over. Later in the innings, he bowled one more over. The final ODI may shed more light on his bowling fitness.Team news
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said on the eve of the match that fast bowler Kasun Rajitha is out with an injury. Sri Lanka can replace him with Lahiru Kumara. They can also bring in Akila Dananjaya for Lakshan Sandakan. In two games so far, Sandakan has combined figures of 2 for 124 from 18.4 overs at an economy of 6.64. With Hasaranga out, they may bring in offspinning allrounder Ramesh Mendis into the lower middle order.Pitch and conditions
Batters in this series have enjoyed playing their shots on the R Premadasa pitches but at the same time, there has been help for spinners too. A similar pitch is expected for the third ODI as well but the weather could play a spoilsport. It's forecast to be cloudy with intermittent showers on the match day.Stats and trivia
- The last time Sri Lanka won a bilateral ODI series against India was in 1997.
- Since January 2020, India's fast bowlers have picked up just five powerplay wickets in 14 ODIs, at an average of 159 and an economy of 5.88.
- Yuzvendra Chahal has 97 wickets in 56 ODIs. Three more wickets on Friday and he will join Jasprit Bumrah as the joint-second fastest Indian to the 100-wicket landmark. Mohammed Shami (56 ODIs) holds the record for India.
Quotes
"As a team, and I as captain, we need to build confidence. And alongside that, the players need to believe in their ability to execute their skills in the game. I saw a lot of this in the last game, and so I'm confident we can build on that, and turn that into positive results. It's true we haven't won consistently for a while, but we haven't forgotten how to win."Dasun Shanaka is confident Sri Lanka can turn things around
Deepak Chahar on how Dhoni's advice helped him during the second ODI
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo