3 reasons why India can beat Sri Lanka in the upcoming series

Despite sending a second-string side, with most of the regulars scheduled to fly to England for the World Test Championship final and a five-match Test series, India are the firm favorites for their upcoming assignment against Sri Lanka.

India will lock horns with their southern neighbors in three ODIs and three T20Is in July, with the series expected to have a major bearing on squad selection for the T20 World Cup. Many fringe players will get the opportunity to stake their claim for a regular place in the side.

Here are three reasons why India can beat Sri Lanka comfortably even though they won't be anywhere near full strength.

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#3 Sri Lanka have endured tough times in international cricket of late

Sri Lanka Cricket

Sri Lanka have never really recovered from the retirements of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, which took place almost seven years ago. There was always going to be a period of transition, but few could've imagined just how troublesome it would be.

Sri Lanka have lost all five of their matches in the ICC CWC Super League, including a hammering at the hands of Bangladesh recently. With the senior players underperfoming and inconsistencies in selection preventing them from finding mometum, the Lankans are placed eighth, ninth and eighth in the Test, ODI and T20I rankings respectively.

Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Perera, who are part of the leadership group in white-ball cricket, desperately need to lift their team out of the doldrums. But at this point in time, it looks unlikely.

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#2 India have immense bench strength, thanks to the IPL

Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw

Even though almost all of their premier match-winners across formats won't be part of the Sri Lanka series, India have a whole horde of players waiting to prove a point.

Thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Men in Blue can avail the services of several cricketers ready for the international stage even if their caps are few in number.

With most of India's stars having played in the 2021 edition of the IPL, they won't be short of match practice. They will also have the confidence to take on any opposition, as evidenced by the sparkling performances put in by Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Prasidh Krishna against England recently.

India's immense bench strength means that they can put out a strong side even in the absence of many regulars - something that wouldn't have been possible a few years ago.

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#1 India have several players who have a point to prove

Prithvi Shaw

As mentioned earlier, this series could influence selection for the T20 World Cup. And a number of Indian players will have a point to prove.

Prithvi Shaw will make a much-anticipated return to the side after being dropped during the Australia tour at the turn of the year. Middle-order spots will be few in number, with Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer (subject to fitness) vying for a place.

Youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad could get their maiden India call-ups, while spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Yuzvendra Chahal will look to present their case as dependable T20 bowlers.

Almost every India player who takes part in the Sri Lanka series will have a chip on his shoulder. And this can be trusted to bring the best out of the team as a whole.