Riding a victory juggernaut that crushed Sri Lanka 3-0 in Test series and already clinching the five-match ODI series 3-0, India have now set their sights on fourth ODI, to be held at Colombo on Thursday.

Despite having suffered a series of defeats, the islanders still have two ODIs to ward off a whitewash.

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Dickwella

Batting first in all three ODIs, Sri Lanka’s top-order showed no sense of responsibility. They failed to make a confident start and were wrapped for 216, 236 and 217, respectively, in the first three ODIs.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella somehow managed to start well in the first ODI at Dambulla, where he scored 64 runs. However, the following two matches saw a dip in his form and daring-dos. Dickwella lost his wicket for 31 and 13 runs in the second and third ODI, respectively.

As the fourth ODI nears, the 24-year-old southpaw batsman has to shoulder responsibility to earn the team a consolatory win.

Thirimanne

Middle-order batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who scored an impressive 80-run knock in the third ODI, requires to show his class when the Lankans lock horns against the men-in-blue at Colombo.

Thirimanne didn’t feature in first two ODIs, though made a thumping impression in a practice game before the series. Playing for Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, the left-hander slammed 59 runs against the Indians.

Dananjaya

The 23-year-old Sri Lankan off-spinner Akila Dananjaya has a lot of talent under his sleeve and all he needs is to strike at the right time.

Dananjaya didn’t play the first ODI but in the next two, he came out with astonishing figures. The second ODI saw him claiming a six-wicket haul, while he took two wickets in the following game.

The havoc of Dananjaya destroyed the best of Indian batsmen in the second ODI at Pallekele. Top bets like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel lost their wickets to the off-spin sensation.

Malinga

Sri Lanka’s experienced bowler Lasith Malinga, who had troubled the best of batsmen, needs to rise to the occasion. The next two matches will be very important for the 34-year-old for revival, which will decide his fate as well.
Having conceded 126 runs, Malinga managed to claim just one wicket in three ODIs against India.

In past, Malinga has played 37 ODIs against India, in which he claimed 41 wickets with a best spell of 3/64.

Indian top-order

India’s top order seems to be Sri Lanka’s toughest challenge. In all three matches, batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli gave India a strong start.

Chasing small targets in all three ODIs, India scored 64/1, 68/0 and 35/2 in first mandatory powerplay (first ten overs).

In the first ODI, Dhawan (132*) and Kohli (82*) put an unbeaten 197-run partnership stand for the second-wicket. The second ODI witnessed the brisk start by Rohit (54) and Dhawan (49), who established a 109-run partnership stand for the opening-wicket.

Sri Lanka struck in the third ODI, claiming two big wickets in the first 10 overs. Then Rohit came for the rescue. He scored an unbeaten 124 to help clinching a six-wicket victory and the series.