Sri Lanka vs India 2017:5 Sri Lanka players to look forward to 

Malinda Pushpakumara

Pushpakumara will aim to make his debut on a high

Malinda Pushpakumara, the yet uncapped Sri Lankan player is set to replace left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan in the upcoming bilateral test series against the Men in Blue.

In February 2017, he was named in Sri Lanka's Test squad for their series against Bangladesh but did not play. A prudent left-arm spinner with dangerous variations, Malinda Pushpakumara has been a prolific wicket-taker in recent years.

The 29-year-old’s presence in the side can come in handy with the bat as well. Known for being a pretty good batsman down the order, he is someone the skipper can rely on to bat a few overs and score 30-40 odd runs.

He is yet to be tested at the top most level but his first class record speaks for itself. In 99 first class matches, Pushpakumara has scored 1542 runs with a personal best score of 80*. He has even recorded four half-centuries.

To put his performance into perspective, Pushpakumara claimed a 13-wicket haul and then hit the winning runs to guide Sri Lanka A to victory in Dambulla to square the unofficial Test series with England Lions earlier in February.

With a massive 558 first class wickets, Pushpakumara 's consistency is what makes him stand out.