Injury Setbacks for Sri Lanka's Fast Bowlers Ahead of ODIs Against India

Sri Lanka faces a series of setbacks with fast bowlers Matheesha Pathirana and Dilshan Madushanka ruled out of the upcoming ODIs against India. Pathirana sustained a shoulder injury, while Madushanka suffered a hamstring injury.

These injuries add to Sri Lanka's woes, as Dushmantha Chameera is sidelined due to illness, and Nuwan Thushara is out with a fractured thumb. Both players had also missed the preceding T20I series.

To compensate for these losses, Sri Lanka has called up uncapped right-arm seamer Mohamed Shiraz, as confirmed by team manager Mahinda Halangoda. Later, Sri Lanka Cricket announced that another uncapped right-arm seamer, Eshan Malinga, had been added to the squad. Additionally, batter Kusal Perera, seamer Pramod Madushan, and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay were placed on standby.

Halangoda explained that Pathirana's shoulder injury is a recurrence of an issue he faced during the World Cup last year, leading the team to err on the side of caution. Pathirana sustained the injury while fielding in the third T20I in Pallekele and left the field before bowling a single delivery.

Madushanka's hamstring injury occurred during training. He had participated in just one match during the T20I series. Both bowlers were expected to be part of the playing XI for the first ODI against India, as Sri Lanka seeks to end a ten-match losing streak against them across formats.