IND vs SL: T20I series – 5 players to watch out for
The three-match T20I series between India and Sri Lanka gets underway on January 3. The hosts will be fielding a young brigade with an eye on the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The matches will be played across three venues- Mumbai, Pune and Rajkot. Without further ado, here’s a look at the five players to watch out for in the upcoming T20I series.
5. Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka’s star wicketkeeper-batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa will undoubtedly be one of the players to watch out for. He has been making a tremendous impact with the bat in the last 12 months. He was also the match-winner in the Asia Cup 2022 final against Pakistan as he scored a quickfire 45-ball 71.
4. Arshdeep Singh
Yorker specialist Arshdeep Singh will certainly be one of the players to watch out for. He will be hoping to take his death overs skills to the next level. Arshdeep finished as India’s highest wicket-taker in this year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2022 down under with 10 scalps from six matches and finished the year with 33 wickets at an economy of 8.17.
3. Hardik Pandya:
Hardik Pandya will be leading the Indian team in this series as regular skipper Rohit Sharma continues to recover from his thumb injury. Apart from captaincy, the onus will be on Pandya to showcase his all-round abilities with the ball in hand and add the finishing touches with his amazing power-hitting skills.
2. Wanindu Hasaranga:
India must beware of the lethal spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who has the ability to single-handedly dismantle the opposition on his day. Hasaranga had an outstanding 2022 as he starred with the ball in hand in the Asia Cup final and also finished as the leading wicket-taker of the T20 World Cup with 15 wickets from eight matches. With 34 scalps to his name, the leggie is also the third-highest wicket-taker this year in T20Is behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Joshua Little.
1. Suryakumar Yadav
Without key players, Suryakumar Yadav will be looking to make the most of his opportunities and prove why he is the top-ranked batter in this format. Yadav finished as the top-run-getter in T20Is this year as he registered two overseas centuries and amassed 1164 runs from 31 matches at a staggering strike rate of 187.43.
