India vs Sri Lanka Cricket Series 2022

There has been plenty of action going on behind the India cricket scenes – with the BCCI announcing a new itinerary for India’s home series against Sri Lanka, set to start on 24th February 2022, after a confirmation that the Twenty20 series will now take place before the two Tests.

It was originally planned that the two-Test series would precede the T20s. However, after receiving a request from Sri Lanka cricket, the fixtures have now been switched. These changes mean that first, Sri Lanka will play the T20I series, which comprises three matches and this will be followed by a two-match Test series. These matches will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship, 2021-23.

But what can we expect from these test matches? These are two of the best teams in the world, renowned for their fierce rivalry – and Indian cricket fans and sports betting punters alike will certainly be awaiting the action with bated breath.

NEW INDIA TEAM CAPTAIN – ROHIT SHARMA

There is some uncertainty surrounding the team right now. There’s not much time for the team to prepare, with the first T20 scheduled to be played on February 24 in Lucknow, before travelling up to Dharamsala for the following two games, scheduled for the 26th and 27th of the month. However, new captain Rohit Sharma is still proving himself right now as the games against the West Indies continue.

Fans across the country waited, with bated breath, to find out who would be named the new Test captain – a post which was unexpectedly vacated when Virat Kohli resigned the day after the Indian team lost the Test Series in South Africa. Rohit Sharma is the one to take over the reins, but will this affect team morale? Up until recently, Kohli was tried and ‘tested’… he was India’s most successful Test captain of all time, leading his team through 68 Tests with a record of 40 wins, 11 draws and 17 losses. But can they rise to the challenge under their new leader?

WHO WILL WIN?

This is going to be a series that will ignite a lot of emotion in fans of both teams, with Sri Lanka and India considered as two of the biggest and best names in international Cricket.

These two teams first came face to face over 40 years ago, back in 1979, when they met for a one-day international. The first head to head was won by the Sri Lanka team. However, that match was the first of many. Since then, they have faced each other many times – and the results have been interesting. Let’s take a look at some of the historical results between the two rivals…

TEST STATISTICS

Looking at India vs Sri Lanka head to head statistics for Tests, we can see that the very first Test series between India and Sri Lanka was played in 1985 – and was won by Sri Lanka. However, this certainly isn’t indicative of how it would go on. In fact, since then, they have played a total of 17 series against each other (although these were not all bilateral series). Out of these, India has won a total of nine, whereas Sri Lanka has only managed three wins and there have been four draws. The one non-bilateral series, the Asian Test Championship of 1998-1999, which was played in Bangladesh by Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan, was won by Pakistan.

However, given the fact that India has won four out of the five most recent Test series, with the other being a draw, the stats certainly favour India.

MATCH STATISTICS

If we look at the results of the Test matches played, again, we can see that it is very much in favour of India. The very first Test match was back in 1982 in Chennai and this resulted in a draw. However, in the forty years that have followed, there have been a further 43 Test matches between the two. Although seventeen have resulted in a draw, India has been the most successful, with twenty wins compared to the Sri Lankan’s seven wins. Again, this is another area where the stats fall in India’s favour, with the Indian team having won three of the last five test matches – and the other two ending in a draw.

T20 INTERNATIONALS

With T20s being a more recent addition to the cricketing calendar, these two teams first met for T20 Internationals back in 2008/09 – and this was won by the India cricket squad. Ever since then, they have played seventeen T20I series in total against each other (although, these were not all bilateral). Out of these, ten were won by India compared to just two by Sri Lanka, with five ending up in a draw.

Again, if we look at the total number of T20 matches played, dating back to 2009, there have been nineteen matches in total, India dominating with thirteen wins against Sri Lanka’s five – and one draw.

A PROMISING OUTLOOK FOR INDIA

When looking at the history between these two fearsome forces, it certainly favours India. Although there has been instability recently in the squad with the resignation of Kohli, there will certainly be a lot of cricket bettors putting their money on the India squad to steady the ship – and add another win to their stats!