India-Sri Lanka series has crossed its halfway stage and India has the upper hand after the first three matches. India is 2-1 up in the series, thanks to some splendid batting performance. India has won two matches and batting has been the department that has won them the matches.
Sri Lanka on the other hand will have to thank their bowlers, because they were the heroes in their lone win.
Sri Lanka is in a do-or-die situation as there is no coming back if they lose this match. India on the other hand will be looking to seal the series and would not want it to go into the decider. Both teams have some problems in their team, but overall the Indian team looks more balanced and confident.
There are some tremendous players in both sides let’s have a look at some of them.
Players to watch out from the Indian team:
Gautam Gambhir: Gambhir has been the best batsman for India in the series. In the first match he was a bit unfortunate to get bowled round his legs. In the second match he was the last Indian batsman to get out and scored almost half of India’s run. In the third match he made a match winning hundred as he kept India in the game till the time he was on the crease. He looks solid at the crease and he is one real threat for Sri
Lanka.
Suresh Raina: His innings was the decisive factor in the last match. Raina has a habit of scoring important and match-winning runs. He comes into bat in tough situation and seems to cherish them. He is electric in the field and is a real game-changer.
Irfan Pathan: Pathan was a last minute inclusion in the team and he has totally justified his selection. He has been quite effective with the ball and most importantly has been able to swing the ball in to the right-hander. Pathan who is in the team as a bowling all-rounder did well in the last match with the bat and it was his partnership with Raina that won India the match.
Zaheer Khan: He was the best bowler from either side in the last match. He took two early wickets and looked dangerous with the new ball. Zaheer loves a challenge and it looks that he has found his rhythm in the series.
Players to watch out from the Sri Lankan team:
TM Dilshan: He looks out of sort and has struggled against the swing bowling from Indians. He did hit a fifty plus score in the second match, but it was a low total that they were chasing and Indian team was already down. Dilshan has a fabulous record against India but in this series he has struggled against the ball that comes in to him. With Sangakkara ruled out of the series, Dilshan will have to step in and take extra responsibility.
Mahela Jayawardene: In the previous match it was his innings that injected the much needed momentum. He maneuvered the ball brilliantly and had a very important partnership with Sangakkara. Unfortunately his partner in crime has injured himself and that doubles his responsibility.
Lasith Malinga: He has been poor against the Indians in the past few matches, but changed that with a superb spell of bowling in the last match. It was Malinga’s efforts that brought the home team back into the match. He took two wickets in two balls to jolt India’s run-chase. Malinga is still not at his devastating best and he will know it better than anyone else.
Thisara Perera: He was the hero for Sri Lanka in the match that they won, but he had an ordinary last game. Gautam Gambhir took some risks and punished Perera. He was forced to change his line of attack and he wasn’t successful in doing that. Perera is a very good cricketer and he will be looking to bounce-back from there.
By Indian Sports News Network
