India beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the Asia Cup final in September; Unbeaten India are joint top of the Cricket World Cup standings; Sri Lanka are in seventh place with. Watch India take on Sri Lanka on Thursday live on Sky Sports Main Event and Cricket from 8am
Thursday 2 November 2023 08:11, UK
Chris Silverwood has challenged Sri Lanka to use their crushing defeat in the Asia Cup final as motivation against a "superb" India side.
India bowled out Sri Lanka for just 50 runs as they won the Asia Cup in September by 10 wickets but head coach Silverwood is looking for his side to bounce back in Thursday's clash at the Cricket World Cup.
He said: "I'd rather hope that the defeat in the Asia Cup would give more motivation to the boys to come out and obviously fight tomorrow, show plenty of spirit and get stuck into the Indian side.
"They're a very good side, we know that we've seen them play some superb cricket this tournament so far. But I think it's a good opportunity for our boys to show what they're made of as well. So hopefully the defeat in the Asia Cup will give motivation to the boys."
Sri Lanka sit seventh in the Cricket World Cup table with four points from the six games and their semi-final hopes were dented on Tuesday when they lost to Afghanistan.
Reflecting on the game, Silverwood said: "All of us were very disappointed the other night after that result. That's not to take anything away from Afghanistan, I thought they played superb cricket on the night.
"But for us, we had a very good chat in the dressing room afterwards, addressed some of the issues that we felt we had and then we've come here and we're trying to put that right in practice now. So, we'll be ready for tomorrow."
Sri Lanka will most likely have to win all their remaining games to stay in contention for a semi-final spot but Silverwood believes his side are up for the challenge.
He said: "I think the players are up for the fight, they're enjoying the tournament, we've played some good cricket at times, so we'll be looking to do that.
"We've prepped as well as we always do, so the boys are ready. We have to turn up and we have to bring our A game because we know India, in India, is a very difficult team to beat."
In a repeat of the 2011 Cricket World Cup final in the Wankhede Stadium, where India clinched their second World Cup title against Sri Lanka, Silverwood spoke about the history entrenched in this fixture:
"The boys are very aware of the history, to be honest. Obviously, players do talk about past history of their team as well and the results that they've had,"
"It's a great stadium. And when you are stood out in the middle, you get goosebumps. There's plenty of things out there to motivate them to go perform in front of what will be a packed house."
India will still be without injured vice-captain Hardik Pandya for Thursday's World Cup match against Sri Lanka, captain Rohit Sharma said, adding that the all-rounder's recovery from an ankle injury was going well.
Pandya was hurt as he tried to stop a shot with his foot off his own bowling during the hosts' seven-wicket win over Bangladesh. He missed India's wins over England and New Zealand.
"His procedure after the injury is very positive. Right now, he is not available for tomorrow's match," Rohit told reporters at the Wankhede Stadium. "Hopefully, we'll get a chance to see him as soon as possible."
Rohit's men have lived up to their billing of favourites for the 50-over showpiece event, winning all six of their round-robin games and they face Sri Lanka hoping to seal their last-four spot. Sri Lanka have won two out of six games.
Rohit said the hosts will not hesitate to field three frontline spinners if conditions favour slow bowlers.
"All sorts of combinations are possible," Rohit said. "In this tournament you've seen that spinners are actually the ones stopping that run flow in the middle overs.
"I'm keeping my options open... Our spinners have got so much skill in these conditions."
Hosts India take on Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Thursday live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 8am.
