India vs Sri Lanka Cricket Prediction & Picks: Will Kohli Tame the Lions in Colombo?

After a comprehensive win over Pakistan on Monday, India will look to wrap up a spot in the 2023 Asia Cup final with a win over hosts Sri Lanka. Tuesday’s match at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is set to start at 5:30 am ET, and in the USA, you can watch the match on ESPN+.

After their Group A match was unable to finish due to inclement weather, India and Pakistan’s showdown in the Super Four, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, was granted a reserve day–an extra day to be completed to try to avert a repeat washout.

The decision to allow a reserve day generated some controversy because no other match in the tournament received such an allowance, but it proved to be a handy decision, as more poor weather forced Sunday’s match to be halted less than halfway through India’s innings.

India resumed on 147 runs for the loss of two wickets, and Virat Kohli (122 runs off of 94 balls) and KL Rahul (115 off of 106) both went on to finish with unbeaten centuries to set Pakistan 357 runs to win. They would barely get a third of that required target, as five wickets by Kuldeep Yadav helped produce a 228-run victory.

With a win over Sri Lanka, India will be certain of a place in Sunday’s final, with the winner of Thursday’s matchup between Sri Lanka and Pakistan taking the other spot.

India vs Sri Lanka Odds

Odds are via Bovada.

Moneyline

• India -325
• Sri Lanka +260

Top Run Scorer Props

Top Run Scorer for India

• Virat Kohli +235
• Shubman Gill +295
• Rohit Sharma +330
• KL Rahul +500
• Ishan Kishan +700
• Hardik Pandya +1300
• Ravindra Jadeja +3000

Top Run Scorer for Sri Lanka

• Pathum Nissanka +340
• Kusal Mendis +350
• Dimuth Karunaratne +370
• Sadheera Samarawickreme +460
• Charith Asalanka +575
• Dhananjaya de Silva +800
• Dasun Shanaka +1400

India vs Sri Lanka Prediction and Picks

After wins over Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the group stage, Sri Lanka opened the Super Four with a 21-run win over Bangladesh on Saturday.

Sadheera Samarawickreme’s 93 off of 72 balls propelled Sri Lanka to a total of 257 for 9, and thanks to a solid effort with the ball, the tournament hosts were able to pick up their 13th straight ODI win.

In June, Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan to open a three-match series between the two teams, dropping their sixth straight ODI at the time. They then won the final two matches of that series, made a perfect run through the Cricket World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe, and have started the Asia Cup with three straight wins.

With that win over Bangladesh, Sri Lanka now has the second-longest win streak in ODI history. Australia’s record of 21 straight wins, set between January and May 2003, is unlikely to be under threat, however.

Sri Lanka’s recent record against India in ODI matches is abysmal. Dating back to the 2011 World Cup final, India has a record of 30 wins, seven losses, and one tie in the last 38 head-to-head meetings. Most recently is a run of eight wins in the last nine matches, including a three-game sweep in a series in India in January.

Following an unproductive day for the top order in the washed-out game against Pakistan, runs have not been an issue in the last two games. All 503 runs against Nepal and Pakistan came from Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, courtesy of half-centuries for Sharma and Gill against both Nepal and Pakistan to go with Kohli and Rahul’s centuries against Pakistan.

When these two teams last met an ODI, India piled up 390 runs behind centuries by Gill (116 off of 97 balls) and Kohli (166 off of 110) in a 317-run win in January.

They may not make such a big score in Tuesday’s match, but I’m looking for India to follow their efforts against Pakistan with another strong day with the bat. And while I don’t see Sri Lanka being able to compete if the game is full of runs, I do think they will manage more than the 73 they scored in the last meeting.

With that in mind, there are two team-related props that I like, and I also like a couple of individual props as well. There’s no value with the ML unless you back the upset, but there is plenty of prop value to cash in on.

Prediction: India to win

Picks: 1) India over 34.5 runs at the fall of the first wicket (-115 at Bovada), 2) Sadheera Samarawickreme over 23.5 runs (-115 at Bovada), 3) Virat Kohli over 41.5 runs (-115 at Bovada)

In the win over Bangladesh, Samarawickreme came up seven runs short of his first international century, posting his second 50+ score in three Asia Cup matches. In his first ODI against India since 2017, I like his chances to stick around long enough to hit this target.

As for Kohli, well, Kohli is Kohli. No explanation is needed. He isn’t going to go off every time out, but he is coming off of an outstanding performance against Pakistan, and he has a strong ODI record against and in Sri Lanka.

In 50 ODIs against Sri Lanka, he has ten centuries, 11 fifties, and 2503 runs at an average of 64.17. And in 26 ODIs in Sri Lanka, he has five centuries, two fifties, and 1025 runs an average of 51.25.

Where to Bet on Cricket in the USA

Many of the top sports betting sites that cater to American sports bettors will be offering Cricket World Cup odds.

Not all of these sportsbooks offer comprehensive cricket odds year-round, but you will be able to find odds for major international tournaments as well as leagues like the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, and Australia’s Big Bash League.

Among the books that you will find listed in our sportsbook reviews, the best book for cricket betting is Bovada, by far. In addition to having odds for important matches, they offer betting markets for cricket matches that you may not find elsewhere.

Many bettors may be looking only for moneyline odds for matches, but often enough, the best value can be found in prop bets. With that in mind, the variety of options that Bovada offers for sports like cricket, rugby, and soccer makes them a highly recommended option for betting on such sports.