The India-Sri Lanka T20 series is set to begin on Tuesday at the MCA International Stadium in Pune, with some quality players set to take the field. India, after their huge win against Australia in the T20 series, should be a confident lot as they prepare to face Sri Lanka for a three-match contest.
One look at the India and Sri Lanka squads for the T20 series, will tell you the home team is a stronger outfit and, therefore, favourites to clinch the series. Even though Sri Lanka might be missing some of their key players, they cannot be taken lightly by India.
Here is a look at key players from both the teams
India
Rohit Sharma – The right-hander has been in outstanding form of late, scoring consistent runs in the T20 format. Rohit will be keen to continue his amazing form against Sri Lanka as well. His scores in the last five innings read 106, 22, 31, 60 and 52. He has provided a solid base for the middle order by providing electrifying starts in the first few overs. Rohit plays the spinners and pacers with relative ease, which makes him a difficult batsman to bowl at.
R Ashwin – The spinner might not have been a huge asset in the recently-concluded tour of Australia, but he is a completely different bolwer when there is some assistance on the pitch for the spinners. MS Dhoni has immense trust in Ashwin, as the skipper even gives him the new ball at times. With Sri Lanka not having an experienced batting lineup, Ashwin has the ability to run through the vicitors.
Sri Lanka:
Dinesh Chandimal – In Tilakratne Dilshan's absence for the first T20 due to an injury, the onus now falls on the wicket-keeper batsman, Chandimal, to help the visitors come up with a solid batting show in Pune. His performance with the bat has been below par of late, scoring 57 runs in his last five T20 matches. Chandimal needs to bring all his experience into play when he leads his side in the T20 series.
Dilhara Fernando – If Sri Lanka are to have any hope of winning the first match of the series, their speedster, Fernando, has to come up with an inspiring performance against the India batsmen. With Lasith Malinga out injured and, as a result, missing the series, Fernando, who possesses plenty of experience, needs to bowl wisely against the in-form India batsmen. Chandimal will ask his opening bowler to dismiss Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan in the first few overs to stop India from putting up with huge scores.
