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India will be playing Sri Lanka after a long gap of over one-and-a-half-months and from India’s perspective, this short tour to the Lankan Island will be crucial for MS Dhoni and his brigade's preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup at the same venue. Meanwhile, the Lankan Tigers, high after the win against Pakistan, will try their bit not let the home advantage slip from their grasp. There will be number of players who thrive on an opportunity to play against each other and let’s have a look at some of the players who will be itching to take the field on the coming Saturday.

Payers to watch out from the Indian team:

Virender Sehwag: This dashing opener will make a comeback into the Indian squad after a long time. Sehwag played in Australia and was dropped from the Asia Cup on fitness grounds. There have been a lot of talks about the tension between Sehwag and Indian skipper MS Dhoni and both these players will be looking to put this to an end by putting up some god performances. Sehwag was in tremendous form in the IPL and will be looking to replicate his performance. He is one of the most dangerous openers ever Sri Lanka will have to go past him if they want to win the match.

Virat Kohli: The new vice-captain of India was in tremendous form in international cricket before the break and will look to carry forward the same form in this season as well. Kohli played some of the best one-day innings in the past six months and one of them came against Sri Lanka. Kohli literally assaulted the Sri Lankan bowlers in Australia and made a mockery of them. He dominated Lasith Malinga and will be looking to achieve his feat. He is one of the most exciting new talents going around in the world and all eyes will be on him when the two teams will meet.

Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan is also making a comeback into the Indian squad and the season campaigner will be looking to have a solid start to a new season. India will play some tough series in the coming future and they will want their number one bowler to be at his best. Zaheer will be itching to have a bowl at some of the Sri Lankan left-handers.

R Ashwin: Ashwin has been India’s preferred spinner since the time Harbhajan Singh was dropped from the team. In the past few series Ashwin has been below par and his performance has been disappointing to say the least. Ashwin will be looking to have a got in the conditions suited to his bowling and will be looking to leave a mark. With Harbhajan Singh in the probables list for the T20 World Cup, Ashwin will know that he will have to deliver some goods in this series or he might lose his position.

Players to watch out from Sri Lanka:

Kumar Sangakkara: He was in sublime touch against Pakistan in the Test series and this stylish left-hander has always enjoyed batting against the Indians. He is one of the best batsmen in the Sri Lankan outfit and has always delivered when the chips are down. Sangakkara struggled in IPL and will be looking to show his worth as a batsman to the Indian audience.

Angelo Mathews: This Sri Lankan all-rounder is one of the best finishers in the world. He assesses the situation very well and has the ability to play according to the team’s need. Mathews is a clean striker of a cricket ball and has improved his batting a lot. He is more than handy with the ball and has troubled Indians in the past with the swing he gets.

Nuwan Kulasekara: He is fast turning into the strike-bowler for Sri Lanka. Malinga has struggled in the recent past and his performance has been bad against the Indians, hence the pressure will be on Kulasekara to provide the initial break-through to his team. He played a major role in Sri Lanka’s win over Pakistan and bowled at a nagging length. His in-dippers can create a ot of problems to the Indian batsmen.

Thisara Perera: He had a dream series against Pakistan where he picked important wickets in both Test and one-day matches. Perera has a lovely out-swinger and he bowls at a good pace. He looks to make the batsmen drive and has the ability to produce outside edges. He is equally dangerous with the bat and can take the match away in a matter of few overs.

By Gaurav Jha
Indian Sports News Network