5 players to watch out for in the India-Sri Lanka ODI series

After a hard-fought test series which was affected by rain in Kolkata and by pollution in Delhi, India managed to beat Sri Lanka 1-0.

A lot of records were created in the series with Ravichandran Ashwin becoming the fastest bowler in the history of test cricket to get 300 wickets. Adding to that, Virat Kohli kept piling on the runs at will and crossed 50 international hundreds.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, proved to be resilient and gave good competition to India in the Test series. From their point of view, it was pleasing to see the likes of Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva get runs.

Looking ahead to the three-match ODI series starting from 10th December, India have rested Virat Kohli keeping the tour of South Africa in mind and in his absence, India will be led by Rohit Sharma in the limited-overs series. Sri Lanka will also have a new captain as they stripped Upul Tharanga off captaincy and have decided to go in with Thisara Perera as the captain for the ODIs and T20Is.

Here’s looking at 5 players to watch out for in the upcoming 3 match ODI series:

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Rohit Sharma

Everyone is aware of what Rohit Sharma is capable of. When he is on song, he’s unstoppable. In home conditions against a Sri Lankan bowling attack sans Lasith Malinga, one can expect Rohit to dominate proceedings at the top of the order.

He looked in good form in the Test series as well where he was equally good against the spinners and fast bowlers. And one can expect him to continue his good run in the ODI series as well.

An interesting aspect which people would be closely watching out for is how his batting would be while he is the captain of the side. With Kohli rested and Rohit becoming the captain, it is yet to be seen whether that might have any impact on his performance as a batsman.

Looking at the quality of the opposition and with the pitches expected to be flat, Rohit should be able to dominate despite the added responsibility of being the captain of the side. With 6207 runs in 161 matches with an average of 44.34 with 15 hundreds (2 double hundreds, one against Sri Lanka), we can expect some big runs from his bat in this series.

Dinesh Karthik

India have struggled to find a solution for their number 4 position dilemma. 11 players have been tried in that position since the ICC Champions Trophy in England and still, there’s no clarity as to who will own that position.

Dinesh Karthik has come into the national side after amassing a lot of runs in the domestic circuit for his state Tamil Nadu at the number 4 slot. He was good in the ODI series against New Zealand as well.

With lots of cricket to be played overseas in the coming months leading up to the ICC World Cup in 2019, India would want to finalise someone who is technically sound and can accelerate when required for the number 4 position.

Dinesh Karthik fits the bill as he is technically sound, has got the shots and is very good in the outfield. His experience along with the fact that he is the backup keeper makes him a strong candidate to own the number four position.

With Virat Kohli rested for this series against Sri Lanka, it gives the opportunity for Dinesh Karthik to play at number four and secure his spot with some consistent performances. If he can do that, he can become a permanent member of the ODI team leading up to the World Cup.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya’s rise as an all-rounder across all formats of the game for India has been pleasing to see. He has taken the responsibility on his shoulder and has delivered more often than not with his flamboyant batting down the order.

His bowling also is an added advantage for a skipper to have as he can be deceptive and is a partnership breaker. To add to that is his outstanding fielding and catching skills, making him a complete package.

So far he hasn’t been tested by conditions, with the oppositions not being as strong as well. But in the opportunities given to him, Pandya has made his presence felt. Keeping the tour to South Africa in mind where he would probably play an important role, Pandya was rested for the Tests against Sri Lanka.

So now with him back in the ODI and T20I series against Lanka, the general curiosity increases from a viewer’s point of view as Pandya can play a huge role in the future. It also will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma uses him.

His explosive batting, effective bowling and outstanding fielding make him one player who can cause severe damage to Sri Lanka and who would be among the key contributors to India’s success in the upcoming ODI and T20I series.

Upul Tharanga

Upul Tharanga took over the captaincy of the Sri Lanka team in rather turbulent times. Angelo Mathews stepped down as the captain after a humiliating series defeat against Zimbabwe at home.

With a team in transition and lot of new faces being tried in the past year or so, Sri Lanka suffered three 0-5 series whitewashes in the period.

Looking ahead to the ICC World Cup, the selectors decided to strip Tharanga from the ODI captaincy and have named Thisara Perera as the captain of the ODI team. Despite all the negativity, Upul Tharanga the batsman has been very consistent in the past one year.

He has a lot of experience, having played 214 ODIs and he has used that to his benefit, getting runs in different conditions on a regular basis. His laid-back approach, solid technique and the ability to play seamers and spinners equally well make him an asset to have.

Sri Lanka need someone who can offer stability at the top of the innings and also someone who can control the middle overs, an area of their game which has cost them many matches of late. A solid start is wasted by an ineffective middle order.

With the burden of captaincy being lifted off his shoulder, it would be interesting to see how Upul Tharanga paces his innings and how Sri Lanka use his experience. One thing is for sure, he is a key member of this Sri Lankan team and for them to compete and look at troubling a dominant Indian team, Tharanga would have to bat well and probably convert his starts into big scores.

Dhananjaya de Silva

It was rather strange to see someone like Dhananjaya de Silva left out of the ODI & T20 teams for Sri Lanka in recent times. As he has got a wide range of shots, attacks the bowlers and is an asset to have on the field as he is quick and agile.

So it was good to see him being picked in the Test series. He started off in a sluggish manner but his counter-attacking style of play when the chips were down for his team in the second innings of the Delhi Test match was critical in ensuring Sri Lanka managed to draw the test match.

Looking at Sri Lanka’s performances in ODIs recently, they were lacking all-rounders who can push the scoring rate in the middle overs. And for this series, they have Dhananjaya and Asela Gunaratne who are capable of doing that.

For Sri Lanka to push India in the ODI series, they would need the likes of Dhananjaya to come in the middle overs and push the scoring rate. His handy off-spinners can be an added advantage as well.

With their team looking to redeem their reputation, it’s got to have fresh faces in the team. It adds more positivity to the dressing room which can improve the performance of the team. Sri Lankan fans would hope this talented player shines and performs against India in the upcoming ODI series.