When it comes to India and Sri Lanka, we get the chance to watch high-paced cricket matches. The cricket rivalry between these two neighboring countries has been going on for years. The teams, who last faced each other in two different series in 2024, played a total of 6 different matches. While Sri Lanka won the ODI series between IND vs SL, India won the T20 series comfortably. So, how will things be in the T20 World Cup 2026? These two teams are the hosts of T20 2026. Moreover, some of the matches will be played in India and some in Sri Lanka. Naturally, both teams are favorites.
At this point, to make healthier future predictions, it is necessary to focus on the recent cricket matches between India vs SL. In this way, we can discover the players who are in form and make healthier betting decisions. Now, let’s take a closer look at Sri Lanka’s tour of India.
India in Sri Lanka ODI Series 2024 – Overview
In 2024, India toured Sri Lanka as part of the T20 and ODI series. In these tours, we had the chance to watch the T20 series first. India won all 3 matches in the T20 series. Things changed a lot in the ODI series held exactly 1 month after this tournament.
The ODI series started on August 2, 2024, and the first match was really enjoyable to watch and ended in a draw. However, Sri Lanka had a clear advantage in the following two matches. In this direction, Sri Lanka won the first match by 32 runs and managed to win the second match by an incredible difference of 110 runs. You can see the detailed India national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team match scorecard regarding the three-match ODI series clearly in the table below.
| Match Result | India | Sri Lanka | Series |
| Match Tied | 230 (47.5 overs) | 230/8 (50 overs) | 1st ODI |
| SL won by 32 runs | 208 (42.2 overs) | 240/9 (50 overs) | 2nd ODI |
| SL won by 110 runs | 138 (26.1 overs) | 248/7 (50 overs) | 3rd ODI |
1. Match: (Aug 2, 2024) Match Tied
India has been using an aggressive batting technique in recent years, usually led by Rohit Sharma. When this technique is successful, it is possible to encounter highly different scores. However, in matches where the opponent shows very good defense, India’s batting line really struggles. Now let’s start analyzing the match with the first innings in this direction.
First Innings
Sri Lanka decided to bat first after winning the toss in the match. Pathum Nissanka put in an impressive performance early in the match, scoring 56 runs in 75 balls and playing a consistent game. Dunith Wellalage also played a crucial role, contributing a valuable 67 runs in 65 balls (7 fours and 2 sixes).
Wellalage’s flawless style of play earned him the player of the match award. In terms of defence, Axar Patel played some impressive shots with 2/33 in 10 overs, and Arshdeep Singh 2/47 in 8 overs. Shivam Dube and Kusal Mendis took some important wickets. With the first innings, Sri Lanka reached a total of 230 runs in 50 overs.
Second Innings
India must target Sri Lanka’s 230-run score in the second innings. In this context, one of the team’s most powerful weapons, an aggressive batting strategy, comes to the fore. Rohit Sharma achieved 57 runs in 47 balls, ensuring the team’s rapid acceleration. If you like to bet on cricket, we recommend that you pay attention to Rohit Sharma in terms of top batsmen. It may be wise to evaluate the high odds, especially on the Melbet cricket betting app.
However, the momentum that Sharma started was disrupted by Sri Lanka’s spin bowlers. Dunith Wellalage took two wickets in two consecutive overs, removing the opening batsmen (Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill) from the game. In the continuation of the match, KL Rahul and Axar Patel, although they formed a smart partnership, could not finish the match as they wanted.
India’s middle-order batsmen had a hard time against spin. Despite making a strong start, India’s momentum was broken due to increasing defensive pressure, and the match ended in a draw.
2. Match: (Aug 4, 2024) SL won by 32 runs
The second match of the ODI series was a close contest at first, but the turning point was when Rohit Sharma was caught by Nissanka in Vandersay’s delivery. Vandersay also showed an excellent performance with 6 wickets in this match. At this point, it may be logical to follow Vandersay’s form in the upcoming matches. In this way, you can make more accurate predictions when betting on the betting site in Bangladesh, MelBet.
First Innings
The second match started with Sri Lanka national cricket team winning the toss and choosing to play the first innings. With the first whistle of the match, Avishka Fernando made a significant contribution to the score by scoring 40 runs, Kusal Mendis 30 runs, Dunith Wellalage 39 runs, and Kamindu Mendis 40 runs. However, none of the players could exceed the half-century. In Sri Lanka’s batting performance, no individual performance of any player stood out too much. It’s important to mention that the score was produced with a joint effort, especially due to the high harmony within the team. Indeed, Sri Lanka had a successful innings by scoring 240/9 at the end of 50 overs.
Second Innings
When you examine the India national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team match scorecard, you can see that India is helpless against the opponent’s spin bowlers. Especially Jeffrey Vandersay gave the best performance of his career, putting India’s batting line in a very difficult situation. In the beginning, Rohit Sharma provided good momentum by getting 64 runs in 44 balls. Then, Shubman Gill accompanied him with a score of 35 runs. However, Sharma’s catch, after a while, was one of the turning points of the match.
With this match, it was revealed how weak India is against quality planned spin bowlers. Despite a very aggressive and strong opening partnership, India could not resist Vandersay’s spin.
3. Match: (Aug 7, 2024) SL won by 110 runs
The last match between India vs SL was played on August 7, 2024, at Premada Stadium. The match started with Sri Lanka winning the toss. In particular, the performances of Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis are worth watching. Thanks to the quality play of these two, Sri Lanka won the match comfortably by a margin of 110 runs.
First Innings
The first innings begins with the Sri Lanka national cricket team winning the toss. At the beginning, Avishka Fernando’s score of 96 runs in 102 balls stands out. In addition, Kusal Mendis’s score of 59 runs in 82 balls paved the way for victory. Sri Lanka made India’s job very difficult in the second innings with a score of 248/7 in 50 overs.
In terms of defense, Riyan Parag, who made his debut for India, showed a successful bowling performance of 3/54. Similarly, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj took one wicket each. India’s bowling line could not defend Sri Lanka’s batting lineup sufficiently. Naturally, in this case, Sri Lanka scored quite comfortably and won the match by a margin of 110 runs.
Second Innings
The second innings of the last match between IND vs SL started with a collapse. Sri Lanka’s spin bowling line-up virtually surrounded India’s batting line-up. Accordingly, India managed to produce only 138 runs in 26.1 overs and lost all of its players. This collapse was an extremely heavy defeat for India.
When we look at the team’s batting performance, we see Rohit Sharma’s fast start of 35 runs in 20 balls. However, this fast start ended with the spin bowlers putting their weight in the game. In addition to all this, Virat Kohli scored 20 runs in 18 balls, and Washington Sundar scored 30 runs in 25 balls, contributing to the score, albeit slightly.
However, this situation turned into a heavy defeat with Dunith Wellalage’s incredible performance of 5/27 in 5.1 overs. Jeffrey Vandersay, who contributed to Wellalage, who has an extraordinary style of play, showed India’s weakness against spin once again by taking 2 wickets.
The most important moment of the match was undoubtedly the quick dismissal of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer by Dunith Wellalage. With these three outs, India’s hopes of following the score were completely shattered.
India’s weakness against spin usually comes to the fore in matches where they are heavily defeated. Sri Lanka’s spin bowlers will probably cause India a lot of trouble in the upcoming matches.
Overall Performance Evaluation and Comparison
Up to this point, we have analyzed the last 3 matches between India vs SL in detail. We have clearly conveyed the individual performances that have left their mark on the matches. Now, with this title, it will be talked about the strengths and weaknesses of both teams for the future. As the T20 World Cup 2026 approaches, you may need this type of analysis when making cricket bets.
Strengths and Weaknesses of India
Strengths:
- India’s aggressive batting strategy is its strongest suit. Rohit Sharma’s strong opening partnership always comes to the fore.
- Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar play key roles in the bowling line. The wickets they take at crucial moments can change the fate of the match.
Weaknesses:
- As we have seen throughout the series, India has a major weakness against quality spin bowlers. Their team’s poor performance against spin highlights this weakness even more.
- In critical matches, the bowling line is not able to restrict the opponent’s scoring as expected. At this point, it may be wise to follow the form of some players.
Sri Lanka’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- The resistance and high performance shown by Dunith Wellalage add momentum to the team’s batting line.
- In terms of bowling performance, Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay apply dominant spin attacks. These spin bowlings almost destroy the opponent.
Weaknesses:
- The team’s Pace bowling strategy is not as effective as spin bowling.
- The Sri Lankan team is having trouble scoring as a collective. Avishka Fernando and Wellalage are at the forefront as individual talents.
Future Predictions and Cricket Betting
We have presented a detailed net performance analysis of both teams for the future. Now, we will talk about some cricket betting predictions for the upcoming matches. You can see that our predictions, especially when combined with the Melbet cricket betting app, have high odds. Let’s start right away.
- First Wicket Method: A risky and high-odds betting option, the first wicket method means betting on which way the first wicket will fall. Possible methods include caught, bowled, LBW, run out, and stumped.
- Total Runs in the Match (Over/Under): In this betting option, you can bet on the total number of runs that both teams will score throughout the match. It’s important to point out that high scores have emerged, especially in the matches between India and Sri Lanka.
- Highest Opening Partnership: With this bet, you can predict which team will have a higher opening partnership before the first wicket falls. After analyzing India’s talents, you can make more accurate betting predictions according to their form status.
- Team to Hit Most Sixes: If you can predict which team will hit more sixes in a cricket match, you can consider this betting option.
- Top Batsman: With the top batsman betting option, it is possible to bet on which player can produce the most runs. In India, Sharma and Shubman Gill have always had high scores. Similarly, in Sri Lanka, we recommend that you pay attention to Avishka Fernando and Dunith Wellalage.