The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Men in Blue, though.
They have played 17 ODIs here, stretching back to 2004, and won nine of those matches, including bilateral and triangular series (in 2005 and 2010 involving West Indies and New Zealand respectively), and two Asia Cups in 2004 and 2010.
Head-to-head against Sri Lanka, they have played 11 ODIs at this venue but only managed to win four of them. Perhaps the most important marker in India's history at Dambulla was their game here in August 2008, when Virat Kohli made his international debut.
He returns here now, not only as a premier batsman in world cricket but also as the Indian skipper.
Having led his side to a comprehensive Test series win, back in 2015 and again this year, it is perhaps an indicator of the shift in balance between the two neighbours.
For Sri Lanka, meanwhile, this series is more than just a matter of saving face after their heavy losses in the Test series.
The hosts need two more ODI wins to confirm their spot in the 2019 ODI World Cup by way of automatic qualification.
If they do manage this feat against India in the upcoming series, they will move to 90 points and then West Indies will not be able to overtake them even if they win all the six ODIs against Ireland and England (taking their points from 78 to 88 at best) before the September 30 deadline
It is easier said than done, of course. India blanked Sri Lanka 5-0 the last time these two sides played a bilateral ODI series, back in November 2015 (in India).
The hosts also lost 3-2 to Zimbabwe at home before the Indian tour, a defeat that prompted Angelo Mathews to quit captaincy.
As such, new skipper Upul Tharanga will have his task cut out ahead of a major challenge.
But he will be buoyed by the fact that this inexperienced Lankan side did manage to upset the Indian applecart in their last ODI meeting at the Oval in the Champions Trophy.
India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur.
Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga (c), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando
MS Dhoni Gears Up For 1st ODI In Dambulla
Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined the India One-Day Internationals (ODIs) team on August 18 for a five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka which starts on August 20 at Dambulla. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have been uploading a series of tweets where the visitors can be seen training hard for the series. In a newly uploaded BCCI video on Twitter, MS Dhoni is seen all padded up and practicing hard. The video is captioned as, "The cut, leave, drive, slog, upper cut, pull - @msdhoni batting session #SLvIND."
The BCCI, on Friday, tweeted out photos of the Indian team playing football to warm-up before the training session and wrote," It was @imVkohli vs @msdhoni vs @klrahul11 at the football today. #SLvIND."
After outclassing Sri Lanka, 3-0, in the three-match Test series, the Men in Blue with their explosive batting line-up with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dhoni and Hardik Pandya are ready for another series victory and will be looking to capitalise on the weak Lankan bowling attack
On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be looking for redemption in the ODIs under their new captain Upul Tharanga after Angelo Mathews stepped down from the post after a historic series defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe.
"Sri Lanka have always been stronger in the white-ball format, and I am confident that we will come out strong and beat India," Tharanga sai
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