In a one-sided series so far, Indian batsmen have made merry against Sri Lanka's hapless attack. The Lankans have never lost a bilateral series 5-0 but looking at their intent and application, that dubious 'record' is not far away as Virat Kohli's India look for a new high ahead of their tour of Australia. (LIVE SCORECARD/NEWS)
PREVIEW
India can well afford to test their bench strength in the fifth and final ODI at Ranchi's JSCA Stadium on Sunday. With a 4-0 cushion, India will want to rest a few tired limbs. Suresh Raina is officially out and Umesh Yadav reportedly has a stiff back. Vinay Kumar may sneak into the playing XI.
Rohit Sharma slammed 264 runs in Kolkata, the highest score in ODIs.
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On a high after the Eden Gardens innings, Rohit Sharma is walking nine feet tall. There could be a few paying their way in to see Sharma bat in the cavalier manner he dominated the Sri Lankan attack in Kolkata. The Indian line-up could see a bit of shuffle.
While the talented all-rounder Kedar Jadhav may make his international debut, Robin Uthappa could bat higher up, probably ahead of Ambati Rayudu at No. 4. Ranchi has always been good to the batsmen and this will a good chance for Uthappa to score a big one. India's batting has really stood out in this series.
"The reason that we have done so well in the matches since the England tour is that our batsmen have managed to go onto a big score. Seven hundreds already we've seen being scored, and they're all from different batsmen," said batting coach Sanjay Bangar. This trend should continue in Australia and till the World Cup next year.
Sri Lanka will have to be more serious in their approach if they are to prevent a serious whitewash.
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India's bowling attack has done well, thanks to some horrible application by the Lankan batsmen. Dhawal Kulkarni's 4 for 34 at Eden was a good sign. India need quick bowlers who can bowl a tight line during batting powerplays. The spin attack is safe in young Akshar Patel's fingers but Karn Sharma's leg-spins are yet to make a telling impact. Kohli might be tempted to bring back R. Ashwin.
The Lankans have failed miserably in this series. Many felt that they would turn out to be better competitors than the West Indians. But it's been the opposite. Skipper Angelo Mathews has been livid with his team's performance and there have been talks of disagreement between senior players and chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya.
Sri Lanka have never been whitewashed 5-0 in a bilateral series. The closest they have come is their 4-0 loss to Pakistan, in 1984. The Lankans will surely play for pride in Dhoni's land.
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