5 things fans could look forward to from the India-Sri Lanka ODI series

Experiments in batting order

Kedar Jadhav couldn't make the most of a promotion in the batting order in the second ODI

Prior to the commencement of the series, skipper Virat Kohli had declared that the Sri Lanka ODIs would kick off India’s preparations for the 2019 World Cup, also revealing plans to experiment a bit with the batting order, putting batsmen in positions and situations they are not be accustomed to.

This would, in the long term, enhance the flexibility of the Indian batting order.

With India having romped home to a 9-wicket win in the first ODI and the opening pair raising a century stand in quick time in the pursuit of the modest target, the second ODI presented an ideal opportunity for Kohli to give batting time to the middle order. Accordingly, Kohli slid down the order while Rahul and Jadhav batted ahead of him.

Well, the experiment did not really pay off on that particular occasion and triggered a collapse that almost lost India the match. However, there is a larger cause behind it and it would be interesting to see if the team management risks shuffling the batting order in the remainder of the series.