In what promises to be an exciting and thrilling contest, Steve Smith-led Australia and Dhananjaya de Silva's Sri Lanka are set to lock horns versus each other in the second and the last match of the two-match Test-Series at the Galle International Stadium of Galle from the 6th of February onwards (Wednesday). 
In the opening encounter of the series, the Mighty Aussies secured a comfortable victory by an inning and 242 runs and this win helped them to take an unassailable lead of 1-0 in the two-match series. In such a situation, the Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka would be looking to make a strong comeback by rectifying their mistakes in the second match. 
Ahead of this exciting contest, some thrilling player battles will be seen taking place between the star players of both teams which can go on to affect the outcome of the match. We will be taking a look at those player battles in this article
While the Kangaroos have already taken the lead in the series, the home side will have the chance to make a strong comeback by taking advantage of the home conditions on offer. It will be interesting to see which team finishes out on top in these player battles and which team succumbs to the pressure. 
<h2>Dinesh Chandimal versus Matthew Kuhnemann</h2>
Australia's left-arm orthodox spinner Matthew Kuhnemann failed to create an impact with the ball in the first ball, ending the match with 0 scalps to his name but he can trouble Sri Lankan batters on the spinning track of Galle. 
This will be especially very challenging for experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal. He is a good player of spin, has a good record against them and also he knows the conditions of Galle quite well but the variations of Kuhnemann can trouble him in the second Test-Match.
<h2>Prabhat Jayasuriya versus Usman Khawaja</h2>
Australia's experienced opening batter Usman Khawaja is in great form with the bat and he also possesses' an excellent batting record on Subcontinental surfaces. While the Australian team management would be happy to see him performing, they might be a little worried in the 2nd match as experienced left-arm spinner Prabhat Jayasuriya can trouble him a lot. 
The 33-year-old has excellent variations up his sleeve and has knack of performing brilliantly in spin-friendly conditions and home conditions. He also got the better of the Southpaw in the opening encounter, dismissing him when he was batting on the score of 232 runs and Jayasuriya would be looking to get the better of Khawaja again in the final match of the series. 
<h2>Other notable player battles</h2>
Apart from the two above-mentioned player battles, the battle between elite Aussie off-spinner Nathan Lyon and promising Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis will also be worth watching out for. 
Angelo Mathews will have to rely on his batting technique to tackle the speed and swing of Mitchell Starc and at the same time, Asitha Fernando has the ability to trouble the Australian duo of Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne with his pace and bounce.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/shock-to-team-india-before-champions-trophy-jasprit-bumrah-ruled-out-of-entire-england-odi-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shock to Team India before Champions Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of entire England ODI Series</a>

Mitchell Starc had Kamindu Mendis strangled down leg side, Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test, Galle, 3rd day, January 31, 2025 | Image: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Australia led by Steve Smith secured an easy victory in the opening match of the series by a margin of an innings and 242 runs and took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. In such a situation, the Sri Lankan team would like to make a strong comeback in the series by correcting its mistakes in the second match. In this match, some interesting player battles will be witnessed between the star players of both teams, which can surely affect the outcome of the match

Sri Lanka and Australia are set to lock horns versus each other in the 2nd and final Test match of the two match series and while the Kangaroos have already secured an unassailable 1-0 lead, the home side would not like to lower their morale as they would want to execute a perfect comeback in the series. Some exciting player battles are also going to take place and we will be taking a look at them

Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test: 3 Player Battles to Watch Out

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A very shocking and a bad news has come out for Team India and it's fans. Jasprit Bumrah, the star pace bowler of the team, has been ruled out of the entire One-Day International series versus England and his participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy is also hanging on a thread. 
According to a news report of India Today, Bumrah will certainly miss all the three matches versus England, starting from the 6th of February. Let us tell you that the 31-year-old was picked in the squad for the third &amp; the final ODI of the series. 
It was difficult for the 31-year-old to take part in the first two One-Day International matches versus the Three Lions due to an injury he picked up in the final Test-Match of the BGT series, but it was believed that he would be fit for the final ODI. However, the latest update which has come out just now is quite shocking. It has become almost certain that the 31-year-old will not be seen playing in the three ODI's versys England. 
<h2>It's looking difficult for Bumrah to play in the Champions Trophy as well</h2>
It's now looking very difficult for Bumrah to participate in the forthcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. A report came out about the pacer on Monday that the 31-year-old has visited the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore and his fitness test will be conducted there. He will continue to remain under the supervision of the NCA Medical Team for now. 
TOI had stated in one of their news reports that the Mumbai Indians pacer will be under the observation of the NCA medical experts for a duration of 2-3 days. Once a complete assessment is conducted, only then the final report will be sent to the Ajit Agarkar-led Selection Committee.
<h2>Team India have just a single week available to make a call</h2>
The Indian team management now just has a single week left to decide whether or not to retain the place of Bumrah in the squad for the Champions Trophy. According to the rules of the ICC, all the participating teams have time till the 12th of February to make any last minute changes in their squad. In such a situation, the Men in Blue have just a week left to take a final call on Bumrah.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/varun-chakravarthy-added-to-india-squad-for-odis-against-england-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Varun Chakravarthy added to India squad for ODIs against England</a>

Jasprit Bumrah is battling injury issues ahead of Champions Trophy 2025 | Image: Getty Images

Star Pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the entire England ODI Series and his participation chances  in  Champions Trophy 2025 are also looking very bleak

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the entire England ODI Series and this news is not good for Team India! His chances of taking part in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 are also looking very low

Shock to Team India before Champions Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of entire England ODI Series

shock-to-team-india-before-champions-trophy-jasprit-bumrah-ruled-out-of-entire-england-odi-series

India Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma is all set to achieve a massive feat in ODI cricket. The opening batter is just 134 away in 19 innings from becoming the second-fastest batter to complete 11,000 runs in the history of 50-over cricket. 
Rohit Sharma currently has 10866 runs in the 257 innings in ODIs. If he achieves the feat in the next 19 innings, he will be joining Virat Kohli, who is the fastest to 11000 runs in ODIs. The batter achieved the feat in just 222 innings. He is also the fastest to 10000 runs. 
Currently, Sachin Tendulkar is the second fastest to 11000 runs in ODIs as he achieved the feat in 276 runs. With India having ODI season now, it is expected that Rohit Sharma will become the second fastest batter to score 11000 runs in the 50-over format. 
Rohit Sharma will have a great opportunity to achieve the feat in the upcoming ODI series against England. India will be locking horns with the Jos Buttler-led side in the three-match series, which will begin on Thursday (6th February) in Nagpur. 
<h2>Rohit Sharma will be captaining the India team in the ODI series against England</h2>
Rohit Sharma will be captaining the India team in the ODI series against England, and three games will be extremely important for him in the context of how things have turned against him. The batter has faced a lot of criticism for his poor outings of late as a batter as well as a skipper.
The series will be a great opportunity for him to make a comeback and silence all his critics in style. He has been a giant in the ODI format and with the way he has performed in the 50-over format, it won't be a surprise if he ends up scoring runs in the IND vs ENG ODI series. 
Rohit Sharma also has been named as the captain of India for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With the kind of criticism that he has faced in the last few months, it will be a great opportunity for him to make a strong comeback and give a reply to criticism by winning the tournament for the team.
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India Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma is all set to achieve a massive feat in ODI cricket.

Rohit Sharma will be captaining the India team in the ODI series against England, and three games will be extremely important for him

Rohit Sharma on the cusp of becoming ODI great, needs 134 runs too this massive feat

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Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian Cricket Team performed in an exceptional manner in the home five match T20 International series versus England and secured a convincing 4-1 series victory. Opening batter Abhishek Sharma and leg spinner Varun Chakaravarthy ended the series as the heroes, turning out to be the best performers but star wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson didn't have a good series and a big weakness of hit got exposed. 
The bowlers of England recognized this mistake of the 30-year-old on time and they took full advantage of it in the entire series. This weakness of Sanju Samson is the short pitched deliveries. Let us tell you that the wicketkeeper batter opened the inning for Team India in the entire five-match T20 International series versus England. 
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GiyZ5uraEAAQNra?format=jpg&name=large" alt="Image" width="301" height="376" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
In all of the five games, the Rajasthan Royals skipper got dismissed off the short pitched deliveries and the England pace bowlers took full advantage of this weakness. They bowled a total of 29 bouncers and Samson got dismissed on five occasions in the whole series. Versus these 29 bouncers, the 30-year-old managed to score just 35 runs at a poor average of seven. 
<h2>Sanju Samson versus the Short Balls in the England T20I series</h2>
Innings - 5
Balls played - 29 
Runs scored - 35
Number of times dismissed - 5
Average - 7
Strike Rate - 120.68
<h2>Sanju scored just 51 runs in five innings</h2>
Sanju Samson's overall performance in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series was very poor. In all five games, he managed to score just 51 runs and his best score was 26 runs. His average was also very poor standing at 10.20. The 30-year-old played a total of 43 balls in the entire series, of which 29 were short pitched balls. 
From the above stats, it can be understood that the English fast bowlers had prepared in a perfect manner versus the wicketkeeper batter. He managed to slam just three maximums and five fours at a strike rate of 118.60 and these stats just show how dominant England's pace bowling unit was versus Samson. 
Currently, the 30-year-old is out with an index finger fracture and he is expected to return directly in the IPL. Sanju will have to find a way to overcome his short ball weakness quickly otherwise the Indian Team management might just run out of patience with him.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/champions-trophy-2025-tickets-for-india-pakistan-match-sold-off-within-an-hour-more-than-1-5-lakh-fans-were-waiting-to-buy-the-tickets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Champions Trophy 2025: Tickets for India-Pakistan match sold off within an hour, more than 1.5 lakh fans were waiting to buy the tickets</a>

Sanju Samson of India had a torrid time with the bat in the T20I series versus England | Image: Disney + Hotstar and Getty Images

A big weakness of Sanju Samson was exposed in the Five-match T20 International series versus England and the English fast bowlers took full advantage of that weakness in the entirety of the series.

Sanju Samson's weakness against the short ball was exposed in the England T20I series and the England bowlers ruthlessly took full advantage of it as they used the bouncers to perfection and got rid of the 30-year-old on five occasions in the entire series

This big weakness of Sanju Samson got exposed versus England and the English bowlers took full advantage of it

this-big-weakness-of-sanju-samson-got-exposed-versus-england-and-the-english-bowlers-took-full-advantage-of-it

Varun Chakravarthy has been added to the Indian team for the ODI series against England. The development was confirmed by the Team India batter Shubman Gill on Tuesday (4th February) ahead of the first game. 
Varun Chakravarthy was seen training with the Indian team in Nagpur on Tuesday (4th February). The reports in Indian Express claimed that the mystery spinner could be in line to make his debut in the ODIs in the series, which will be the last for the team ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 
Ahead of the first ODI, Varun Chakravarthy reportedly was seen bowling over an hour against the Indian batters during the training session at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha. The mystery spinner's addition came as a surprise because the team already has a number of spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. 
Varun Chakravarthy's addition to the team came after his impressive performances with the ball in the T20I series against England. The mystery spinner was all over the batters as he picked up 14 wickets in the series, which is the most by any Indian spinner in the T20I bilateral series. 
The England batters struggled against Varun Chakravarthy in the T20I series, and based on that, he reportedly has been added to the team for the England ODIs. It remains to be seen if he gets added to the team for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and whom he will replace in the team. 
Varun Chakravarthy is yet to make his debut for India in ODIs. The mystery spinner has played only 23 List A games but had a great outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 as he was the second-highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets in six matches for Tamil Nadu.  
<h2>India updated the squad for the ODI series against England </h2>
Here's India's updated squad for the ODI series against England 
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana (first two ODIs), Jasprit Bumrah (third ODI), Varun Chakravarthy
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Varun Chakravarthy joins India squad for ODI series against England {PC:X{

Varun Chakravarthy was seen training with the Indian team in Nagpur on Tuesday (4th February).

Ahead of the first ODI, Varun Chakravarthy reportedly was seen bowling over an hour against the Indian batters during the training session at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha.