CSK-fame Sri Lankan pacer, Mateesha Pathirana, has been ruled out of the India ODI series after Dilshan Madushanka had already been ruled off early. Sri Lanka is facing a tough time, as already they lost their two-star pacers, Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara, before the T20I series.
Chameera first due to illness, and Thushara later fractured a thumb of his bowling arm and had to be replaced by Madushanka and Fernando for the T20Is, which recently concluded against India. Pathirana sustained the injury during fielding in the last game against India, as he went off the field without bowling even a single delivery.
A jarred shoulder is what kept Pathirana out of the World Cup last time as well, and hence the Lankan management did not want to risk him further, said Mahinda Halangoda. Madushanka, on the other hand, sustained a much more serious injury to his hamstring in the nets post the first T20I.
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The Sri Lankan management reportedly first brought in uncapped right-arm pacer Mohamed Shiraz; however, later in the afternoon another confirmation came from their end, tying up the debut of a second right-arm seamer, Eshan Malinga.
Both these players were supposed to be part of Sri Lanka’s starting XI in the first ODI against India, while Sri Lanka has not had a very good record against them in the recent past. Alongside the two uncapped players who have been brought in, at least one is sure to mark his debut. However, three players, T20I batter Kusal Perera and promoted Madushan and Jeffrey Vandersay, have been kept in standby as backups.