India will look to wrap up the ODI series against Sri Lanka when they take the field for the 2nd ODI at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 12. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be desperately hoping to not repeat the mistakes from the 1st ODI and secure a win to stay alive in the series. India defeated Sri Lanka in the 1st ODI by 67 runs in conditions that were heavily favoring the batsmen.
Eden Gardens: Rohit’s Favourite Hunting Venue
There is certainly some connection between Eden Gardens and Rohit Sharma as per the batter’s past performance records. Here are some stats of the Indian captain Rohit Sharma that points towards the love affair between him and the iconic venue –
- Rohit made his test debut at Eden Gardens in 2013 against the West Indies and scored a century in his debut test
- Rohit’s highest ODI score also came at the same venue and incidentally against the same opponents (264 in 2014)
- The “Hitman” also has an IPL century against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens
- In 8 games the Indian captain has plates so far in this venue, he has aggregated 569 runs at an average of 71.12
All these stats offer a glimpse of hope for the Indian and Rohit Sharma fans that he will return to form with his 30th ODI century against Sri Lanka at his favorite hunting ground.
India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI Expected Playing 11
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage/Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka/Lahiru Kumara
India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI Expected Playing Conditions
The Eden Garden pitch has offered a lot to the batsmen in the past couple of years. Also, there will be heavy dew during the evening that will have a lot of impact on the bowlers’ bowling second at this venue. Captains winning the toss have always preferred chasing due to the smaller ground dimensions and external factors. Expect nothing different in India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI.
