3 Sri Lankan players India will have to be wary of in T20I series ft. Matheesha Pathirana
Team India are set to begin their new T20 era under the regime of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir with a tour of Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue enter the series as firm favorites on the back of their recent T20 World Cup triumph, but they will not be taking Charith Asalanka and co. lightly by any means.
Sri Lanka are also dealing with a slew of changes following Wanindu Hasaranga and Chris Silverwood's resignation as captain and coach following their forgettable World Cup campaign. Sanath Jayasuriya will serve as interim coach while the management have also named a new captain.
Sri Lanka are also weakened by a couple of late blows with Dushmanta Chameera and Nuwan Thushara being ruled out due to illness and injury respectively. Despite the changes in the fast bowling unit where Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka have been called up, the island nation are well capable of upsetting the Indian contingent on their day.
India will think twice before underestimating Sri Lanka, especially considering that they lost 1-2 to them the last time they toured in 2021. On that note, let us take a look at three Sri Lankan players India will have to be wary of in the upcoming T20I series.
#1 Matheesha Pathirana
The young Pathirana will have the task of spearheading the injury-ravaged Lankan pace attack. The right-arm bowler has proved that he is one of the talents to watch out for in the shortest format through his numerous stints in franchise cricket over the last couple of years.
Bowling has clearly been Sri Lanka's strength in recent times and Pathirana has played a huge part in that. The stacked Indian batting unit will face an uphill challenge in the form of Pathirana's unorthodox angle and pinpoint accuracy, particularly in the death overs.
The Indian batters may also look to play him out which bodes well for Sri Lanka as the other bowlers can look to capitalize on it.
Pathirana is coming off a fruitful Lanka Premier League (LPL) campaign as well, claiming nine wickets in his last three matches.
#2 Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis might be the most in-form player in the Lankan squad at the moment. The right-handed batter recently won the LPL title with the Jaffna Kings, and played a huge role in their success with a memorable campaign.
He ended up as the fifth leading run-scorer, but was absolutely clutch during the business end of the tournament. An unbeaten hundred in the Qualifier 2 clash against Kandy coupled with an unbeaten fifty in the finals helped Jaffna a long way to secure their fourth title.
If he can manage to translate that form into the series against India, it will help Sri Lanka considering that they have struggled with their bat in recent times. Furthermore, he also boasts a solid record against India, recording three half-centuries in six appearances against them.
#3 Wanindu Hasaranga
Potentially the biggest match winner that Sri Lanka have on their hands, Wanindu Hasaranga could return to his absolute best unburdened by the responsibilities of captaincy. The all-rounder did not have an all-timer LPL campaign like the previous edition, but he still had a commendable season, ending up as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps.
He was the player of the series the last time India toured Sri Lanka for a T20I series, and has never looked back since then. With the series being held in the island nation, it proves to be the perfect conditions for him to express himself and dominate the middle overs with his variations.
The potential battles between Hasaranga and the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh, and potentially even Sanju Samson will be quite exciting, and perhaps even match-defining.
All three T20Is between India and Sri Lanka will be held at the Pallekele International Stadium.