India vs Sri Lanka T20 Series: 5 players to watch out for

After enjoying a much-needed break, India will begin the year 2020 with a three-match T-20 series against Sri Lanka, starting from 5th January 2020.

Team India is coming off in the series on the back of two consecutive t20 series victory against Bangladesh and West Indies. While India completely dominated the series against Bangladesh, West Indies, on the other hand, did prove to be a threat and forced India to fine-tune their combinations and rectify mistakes.

The West Indies series did see a change in the approach by the Indian batsmen with Rohit and KL Rahul giving a rollicking start to the team in the first six overs. However, with Rohit being rested in the upcoming series, it remains to be seen whether the new opening pair of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan would be able to emulate the same.

Looking at Sri Lanka team and their performances in T20 against India, not many people would give them a chance, however, with players like Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Perera in the squad, one can expect a stiff fight from the Islanders.

Here’s look at 5 players to watch out for in the series:

1. KL Rahul

KL Rahul might be struggling in Test cricket and one-day cricket, but when it comes to T20 cricket, the Karnataka batsman boasts of astonishing numbers. The Karnataka batsman enjoyed a scintillating run in the recently concluded West Indies T20 series, scoring 162 runs in three matches at an average of 54. He will look to display a similar performance in the upcoming series as cement his position as a first-choice opener for India in T20s.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

After suffering an injury in the World Cup 2019, Shikhar Dhawan has endured disappointing numbers, be it ODIs or T20s. In fact, many of the cricket pundits have even sidelined him as the first choice opener in the T20s owing to his lack of ability to hit big shots. And with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma performing brilliantly lately, it will be an important series for Dhawan if he wants to secure his place in the side.

3. Jasprit Bumrah

India’s one of the premier fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah is back and is likely to hit the ground running in the first T20 International against Sri Lanka. Bumrah has not played any match for the last 4 months owing to his stress fracture and it will be interesting to how he makes his comeback. Also, the Indian fast bowler is just 2 wickets away to become the highest Indian wicket-taker in T20 cricket.

4. Angelo Mathews

Having been opted out of T20 squad for as many as 16months, Angelo Mathews has been recalled in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three T20 Internationals. The former Sri Lankan skipper might have not been in the T20 squad for quite some time but given his numbers against India, he will be one of the biggest bets for Sri Lanka in the series.

5. Lasith Malinga

His yorkers aren’t as accurate as it used to be, however, the veteran Sri Lankan bowler still has plenty of variations in his armory to trouble any batting line. Sri Lanka will once again rest their hopes on the shoulder of Malinga to make life difficult for Indian batsmen.