It is for the first time that the port city is witnessing a series decider and the third and final Twenty20 match between India and the visiting Sri Lanka at the ACA-VDCA stadium here on Sunday promises to be an exciting finale.
India strong comeback in the second match after being outplayed in the first has made this match more interesting.
India’s batting blossomed in the Ranchi match with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma providing a great start. Then followed knocks by Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya which pushed India to a good total. The home team will also wish to see its bowlers R. Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, R. Jadeja and Jaspirt Bumrah repeat their act here also.
What is also of interest in this match is whether M.S. Dhoni would promote Hardik Pandya and Yuvraj Singh in the batting order. At the post-match press conference in Ranchi he appreciated Pandya, who plays the big shots straightaway, and that the team would like to give him a chance.
On Yuvaraj, the captain said he would like to give more batting to him in future games but also observed that the team needs to win matches. But the top four slots have been fixed and the four players are batting well.
Both teams reached here by a special flight from Ranchi late in the afternoon after their match on Friday. They did not go for nets and the captains did not hold a pre-match press conference.
Sunday’s match is expected to see big scores and the pitch at the ACA-VDCA stadium always favours batsmen. This was confirmed by curator Naga Mallaiah. The outfield is a beauty and the green shade has improved.
This would be the first Twenty20 international that the locals would be witnessing after the one against New Zealand on September 8, 2012 was washed out without a ball being bowled.
The next match, an ODI between India and West Indies, on October 14, 2014 was also cancelled due to the Hudhud cyclone.
