India vs Sri Lanka, ICC World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles To Watch Out For

Sri Lanka take on hosts India at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai for match no. 33 of the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Thursday, November 2. India and Sri Lanka famously played at the same venue in the ICC World Cup 2011 final and earlier this year, they played out a thrilling T20I contest at Wankhede, which India edged by two runs. However, heading into this game in the ongoing tournament, both sides are in very contrasting forms with different ambitions.

For Sri Lanka, it has come down to survival as they need to win all of their remaining matches to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals. Currently, Sri Lanka have two wins in four matches and are in the bottom half of the table. With Australia strengthening their grip on the fourth position, it seems like the Islanders will have to win all their matches to be in contention.

In their last match, Sri Lanka didn't help themselves with their ambition of making it to the final four. Sri Lanka batted first and got bowled out for 241 runs, with no big contribution coming from the Lankan batters despite some of them getting starts. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai scored half-centuries for Afghanistan and they picked up a seven-wicket win.

India, the two-time champions of the tournament, are on a roll in the tournament. With six wins in the tournament so far - against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand and England - they are on top of the table and are a win away from confirming their position in the semi-finals.

India were up against England in the last match and won it by 100 runs. Rohit Sharma starred with the bat in the first innings, scoring 87 off 101 balls, as India managed 229/9 in 50 overs. The defending champions