India vs Sri Lanka Prediction: Sri Lanka can cause biggest upset of tournament

India and Sri Lanka are going head to head in the 33rd game of the ICC World Cup 2023 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai City, India on 2nd November. Sri Lanka can cause the biggest upset of the tournament if they beat India. Who will win this game?

The host team has displayed exceptional form in this tournament, remaining undefeated after six matches. India currently leads the points table, and a victory in this game will secure their spot in the semifinals. Captain Rohit Sharma maintained his strong batting form with his third score of 50+ runs in the tournament during the match against England. Although Virat Kohli was dismissed for a rare duck, and Shubman Gill returned with just 9 runs, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul delivered gritty performances. With most of the batsmen in fine form, India aims to post a substantial total if they have the opportunity to bat first.

India's bowling performance has been another highlight of their campaign. Jasprit Bumrah leads the team in wickets taken, while Mohammed Shami has been exceptional in the last two matches, securing 9 wickets. The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav has maintained a tight grip on proceedings during the middle overs. Overall, India has achieved an excellent balance of players and is poised for another outstanding performance in this upcoming match.

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka faced a shocking defeat at the hands of Afghanistan on Monday, marking their fourth loss in six matches. Currently placed sixth on the points table with 4 points, Sri Lanka has only three matches left to play, and winning all of them is imperative to maintain their hopes of qualifying. Even with victories, their promotion to the next stage depends on the results of other teams.

The team's prospects have been significantly impacted by injuries that plagued the squad before the tournament and the absence of key players, including Wanindu Hasaranga. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Pathum Nissanka have impressed with the bat, with Nissanka emerging as the top run-scorer for the team.

Nissanka has notched four half-centuries in the last five matches and is expected to provide a strong start, alongside Chamika Karunaratne. Although Kusal Mendis is a highly talented batsman, his performances have been inconsistent.

The lower-order batsmen have struggled to provide a strong finish to the team's innings. Dilshan Madushanka has been the standout bowler, securing 13 wickets. However, the other seamers, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara, have been relatively expensive.

There is considerable pressure on Maheesh Theekshana to perform, but he has managed to take only three wickets so far. The team faces a challenging road ahead to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, and Dilshan Madushanka

At the Wankhede Stadium, teams that bat first hold a slight advantage, winning 52% of the time. Consequently, we anticipate that the toss-winning team will opt to bat first.

The Wankhede Stadium typically provides a favorable batting surface, and we expect this match to be no exception. Particularly when the pitch is fresh, there are ample opportunities for scoring runs, though bowlers will need to work hard to extract any assistance from the pitch. Teams batting first will target a score around 350 runs, as the pitch tends to slow down as the match progresses, benefiting the spinners.

The weather is expected to be warm with some cloud cover, but no rain is in the forecast. The temperature is set to remain above 30 degrees.

Taking into account the performance of both teams thus far, India emerges as the clear favorite to dominate this contest, and we also support them to secure the victory.

Our bet is on India to win.