Cuttack: With skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni banned for the next two ODIs because of India’s slow over-rate in the second one-dayer in Nagpur, the Indian team, led by stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag, will have to be much better than they have so far been in the series, if they want to regain the lead in the five match series, which is currently tied at 1-1, when they take the field on Monday for the third one-dayer against the Sri Lankans.

India, who are already struggling on the field with pathetic fielding and bowling performances in the first two ODIs, received a huge setback when skipper MS Dhoni was banned for the next two ODIs. To make matters even worse, Yuvraj Singh, who has missed the first two one-dayers due to a finger injury and flu, is a doubtful starter for the third ODI too, although he has been retained in the 15-man squad.

Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman, Dinesh Karthik, has been included in the team in place of Dhoni while S Sreesanth, who is still recovering from swine flu, has been replaced by Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have also suffered a jolt, with all-rounder Angelo Mathews, who batted through pain to guide Sri Lanka to a victory in the second one-dayer after straining his right quadricep muscle, returning home. The visitors had earlier lost pacer Dilhara Fernando and ace off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan due to finger injuries.

With the series hanging in the balance at 1-1, the result of the day-night encounter at Cuttack will be crucial in the context of the five match series.

Squads:

India: Virender Sehwag (c), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Sudeep Tyagi and Virat Kohli.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Tharanga, Chanaka Welegedara, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Suraj Randiv and Thissara Perera.

Tagged with: Angelo Mathews, Cuttack, Dilhara Fernando, India, Ishant Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Muttiah Muralitharan, S Sreesanth, Sri Lanka, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh

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