Lasith Malinga to replace Chamara Kapugedara as captain for fourth ODI vs India

Melbourne: Right-arm pacer Lasith Malinga will lead Sri Lanka in the absence of injured Chamara Kapugedera in the fourth ODI of the five-match series against India in Colombo on Thursday.

Kapugedera, who was roped in as the captain in place of suspended Upul Tharanga, hurt his back during his side's six-wicket defeat in the third ODI against the Virat Kohli-led side in Pallekele, thus ruling him out of the rest of the ongoing series.

It should be noted that Malinga's appointment is the fifth captaincy change to the Sri Lankan side in the last seven competitive matches.

The Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed that Malinga would captain the team in Colombo this week, two months after being fined and handed suspension for comments he made following the ICC Champions Trophy in June, cricket.com.au reported.

The shift in captaincy comes a day after the Sri Lankan selection committee, headed by Sanath Jayasuriya, stepped down.

Sri Lanka’s selection panel released a lengthy statement confirming they had resigned following a horror stretch that has seen them win just four of their past 15 matches across all formats.

The committee had been at the receiving end of coach Nic Pothas, who said that 'too many cooks' were spoiling his efforts to revive the national team besides blaming outside interference for a string of poor performances in the recent times.

Earlier, Lanka had also used two captains in the preceding Test series, which the hosts went on to lose by 0-3, while veteran spinner Rangana Herath came in for skipper Dinesh Chandimal in the opening Test before Chandimal returned for the final two matches of the series.