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SL flirting with historic whitewash

Hosts hoping to avoid first 0-3 defeat at home since 2004 as India chase series sweep

Sri Lanka are flirting with an embarrassing series whitewash in the third Test against India as they struggle with problems on and off the pitch that have thrown them into turbulence.

A series of poor results, the early departure of their coach and accusations against players have made for a difficult few months for the former one-day world champions.

Sri Lanka, lampooned by fans and described as pot-bellied by their sports minister earlier this year, can now ill afford a third loss to top-ranked India in Pallekele, starting on Saturday, following their crushing defeats in Galle and Colombo.

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A 0-3 series defeat will be just the second time in their history that they've been whitewashed in a Test series on home soil, going back to their first ever home series in 1982.

Three consecutive defeats to the mighty Australian side of 2004, who were led by strong performances from legends Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden in Ricky Ponting’s first series as Test captain, is the only other time in 35 years that Sri Lanka have been whitewashed in a three-Test series at home.

Remarkably, the hosts held a first-innings lead in all three Tests of that series 13 years ago before Australia's start-studded batting line-up lifted in the second innings to secure wins by 197, 27 and 121 runs.

Image Id: D1DB650D298347EF97B9AE6FC91DDC77 Image Caption: The jubilant Australians in Sri Lanka in 2004 // Getty Images

But India have never relented in the opening two Tests of this series, posting first-innings scores of 600 or more in each match and winning by margins of 304 runs and an innings and 53 runs.

The hosts have not been helped by a succession of injuries, capped by a back problem which has sidelined their No.1 bowler, Rangana Herath, for the third Test.

Paceman Nuwan Pradeep could bowl only 17.4 overs in Colombo before pulling out with a hamstring injury, and all-rounder Asela Gunaratne is already out of the series.

Sri Lanka failed to reach the semi-finals of the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy in June, and then lost their coach when Graham Ford quit mid-contract.

Worse was to come when they humiliatingly went down 3-2 in a home one-day series to bottom-ranked Zimbabwe.

Skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who missed the first Test with pneumonia, says a consolation victory over India would help put the smiles back on his players' faces.

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"If we can win even one match against a team like this (India), we will be able to really boost the mental state in the team. They are the No.1 team," said Chandimal.

"We need to pick up the positives and look forward to the next game."

There are no such problems for Virat Kohli, who became the only India captain to win two Test series in Sri Lanka as his side completed their eighth consecutive series win under his captaincy.

Cheteshwar Pujara leads India's run-scorers with two centuries and an average of more than 100 in India's three innings so far.

India's bowlers have also shone with spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin topping the wicket-takers' chart with 13 and 11 respectively.

Jadeja is suspended for the third Test, with Axar Patel brought in as his like-for-like replacement in the squad and wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav tipped to play just his second Test.

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Despite their form, wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha insists India are taking nothing for granted.

"We haven't thought about 3-0. Our process is match by match," he said.

"We are ahead by 2-0, so in the next match the aim is to give similar performance as last two matches as a team in batting, bowling and fielding. We will try to be consistent and if we do then we can win."