New Delhi: After a comfortable five-match ODI series victory over the West Indies which ended 3-1 in favour of the Indians and with still a lone T20 encounter to hit this Sunday, Virat Kohli and his men will next head to Sri Lanka for a month long tour, late July.
The tour that would kick-off on July 26 at Balagolla consists of three Test matches, five one-day internationals and a one-off T20 encounter, on September 6.
Rising from the ashes of a crushing 180-run defeat to arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy final, the Men in Blue travelled further west to the Caribbeans for a five-match ODI series against the Windies.
India headed in for the series amid controversies surrounding the widely reported rift between Kohli and former coach Anil Kumble. It seemed a tough challenge for them to shrug off those internal matters and play their best game. While for Jason Holder's men, who missed out on the Champions Trophy for the first time since its inception, much was at stake.
A ravishing 132-run stand by new opening pair Ajinkya Rahane (62) and Shikhar Dhawan (87) had gone in vain as the first match was called off due to rain. India had continued with their cricketing prowess riding on scintillating top-order knocks as they had put forth a massive 310-run target for the Windies in the second game. Debutant Kuldeep Yadav proved to be an impressive revelation as the chinaman had scalped three alongside pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's double strike. A 105-run victory in the second game as India received a much-needed confidence boost.
This was followed by a comprehensive 93-run victory in the third match as Kohli and his men had aimed at a complete whitewash. But the Windies regrouped, worked on their shortcomings as they returned to stun the Men in Blue by 11 runs in the fourth game. Skipper Jason Holder had bagged a five-wicket haul as the Windies pulled one back in the series.
However, the hosts failed to emulate a similar feat as India wrapped up the series 3-1 riding on a brilliant ton from the captain (111 n.o). Opener Ajinkya Rahane returned as the Player of the Series having notched up 336 runs from five innings. Kuldeep and Jason were the top wicket takers, with both taking eight wickets each.
Sri Lanka, who had a rather disappointing Champions Trophy campaign there at England except for that one stunning victory over Kohli's men, invited Zimbabwe for a five-match ODI series amid similar controversies like India. Coach Graham Ford had stepped down and pacer Lasith Malinga was slapped with a six-month suspension ban.
But their concerns continued as Zimbabwe had chased down their massive 317-run target to script history. It was the highest successful chase ever in Sri Lanka in the last 296 ODIs. Solomon Mire (112) had notched up a ton as Sean Williams (65) and Sikander Raza (67) continued to keep the pace as the visitors took a 1-0 lead at Galle.
Sri Lankan bowlers bounced back to restrict Zimbabwe for a low-scoring total as the host team registered a seven-wicket win. In the third game, openers Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka scored their maiden tons as Sri Lanka scripted an eight-wicket victory to take a lead 2-1.
What has remained a problem for the Lankans, is their present bowling attack which seems to lack the depth. If a lower ranked team like Zimbabwe can notch up a 300-plus total on two occasions then one can surely imagine what a formidable top-order Indian batting line-up can create. Star bowler Lasith Malinga is still yet to find his lost strength. He no longer remains to be the death-over specialist he once was. Lankan bowlers thus need to regroup and work on the areas of concern.
What one can look forward from the Indian squad is whether there would be a change in combinations. Will the youngsters get opportunities, given India need to find a proper middle-order line-up ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
The last time the two nations met in a series was three-match T20 series, played in February 2016 and it had ended in favour of the Men in Blue, 2-1.
