Resilient Team India are eyeing a T20 series win at home on Sunday when they will take on Sri Lanka in the third and final T20 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Having thrashed Sri Lanka by 69 runs in the second T20, India will look to put up a similar performance in the final game of the series as well.
Here is a look at some the key battles that one can expect during the 3rd T20 between India and Sri Lanka:
1. Shikhar Dhawan vs Kasun Rajitha: The Delhi southpaw achieved his career best T20 score in the second T20 on Friday. He also become the fifth fastest Indian to reach a half-century during the second T20. Dhawan's innings at the top of the order in the second game showed that he can be equally dangerous as Rohit Sharma in the shortest format of the game. Kasun Rajith, who had a dream debut against India in the first match of this series, will have to re-think his strategy against Dhawan. Rajitha was taken to the cleaners by both opening batsmen, especially Dhawan in the second T20. Rajith will look to bowl a tighter line and length to Dhawan in order to curb the run flow early on in the innings.
2. Suresh Raina vs Dushmantha Chameera: The tactics were absolutely clear against Raina during both the games -- bowl short and fast. But in these typical Indian wickets, the swashbuckling left-hander will keep on hitting the ballout of the park as he is too good a batsman in this format of the game for India. Chameera has so far been the their best bowler and he will look to trouble Raina with his quick short pitch deliveries. Chameera has to be careful as if he misses, Raina will hit.
3. Yuvraj Singh vs Sachithra Senanayake: The veteran left-hander is yet to make a mark in this series with his willow and he will be desperate to get some runs under his belt ahead of the upcoming tournaments. He got out for a golden duck in the second T20 trying to play the big shot in the death overs. Yuvraj also struggled in the first T20 when the ball was doing quite a bit. But the wicket here in Visakhapatnam will be similar to the one Ranchi and Senanayake will look to so as to turn the ball square. The off-spinner has been very expensive so far in this series. He will be up against Yuvraj who likes to bat against the off-spinners.
4. Tillakaratne Dilshan vs Ravichandran Ashwin: The most experienced batsman in the Sri Lankan T20 squad got out for a duck in the second T20 as he was beaten by a peach of delivery from Ashwin and some lightning fast hands of MS Dhoni behind the stumps. Dilshan will look to play his natural game in this final game of the series, but he has to be careful as Ashwin is extremely handy in such conditions and wickets.
5. Dinesh Chandimal vs Ravindra Jadeja: The Sri Lankan stand-in skipper was also dismissed in a similar fashion lik Dilshan. Dhoni was quick to remove the bells off and Chandimal was stumped in the second T20. Jadeja will look to continue with his run of form with the ball in the third T20 as well and Chandimal will be wary of that. A good contest is on the cards!
