Kusal Perera out of India series, Binura Fernando to miss ODIs

Sri Lanka seems to have run out of luck as nothing is going their way at the moment. After a mauling in England, the Lankan Lions expected some favourable results against a new-look Team India on their home turf. The series hasn’t even started and Sri Lanka have been dealt with a massive blow as Kusal Perera has been ruled out of the entire series. Also, fast bowler Binura Fernando will miss the ODIs due to an ankle sprain.

Perera was struggling with a shoulder injury which he picked up during England tour. Battling pain, Perera continued playing for Sri Lanka as there were no apt replacements available. However, things got worse for Perera upon returning from England. Binura, on the other hand, had a lateral ligament sprain that can take a week to heal. Perera’s loss is a massive blow for Sri Lanka as he was their most experienced player in the squad with 107 ODI and 50 T20I caps. He is one of the few cricketers in the current setup who can be deemed as a match-winner for Sri Lanka.

🚨Kusal Perera will not be able to take part in the ODI and the T20I series against India owing to an injury.



🚨Binura Fernando sprained his left ankle during a practice session. Fernando will be unavailable for the ODI series.



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— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) July 16, 2021

Sri Lanka - India series will get underway on July 18. The series was set to kick off on July 13 but was pushed back after Sri Lanka batting Coach Grant Flower tested positive for Covid-19.

Sri Lanka have been under the pump after poor outings in recent time. They would like to salvage their pride against a relatively inexperienced Indian unit. However, the visitors are not short on quality and boast of some very promising youngsters. The team will be led by Shikhar Dhawan while Rahul Dravid will don the coach’s hat. Despite missing the key players, who are in England, the ‘Men in Blue’ will be confident of their chances in the series.