5 reasons why India shouldn't take Sri Lanka lightly
Sri Lanka are going through a horrible phase as a cricketing nation off late. Lot of transition in their team coupled with the lack of experienced and quality players on their bench is compounding problems for Sri Lanka. What makes it even more worrisome is the fact that they lost an ODI series against Zimbabwe at home very recently.
Heading into the ODI series at home against India in a few days’ time, Sri Lanka, going by their recent form, have nothing to lose. Though most of the people are not giving them too much of a chance to beat India, we must not forget that the Sri Lankan team can be very competitive and could give this Indian team a run for their money.
What we must not forget that against a full strength Indian team , Sri Lanka were able to chase down a target of 322 runs in their Champions Trophy encounter which was the last time these two teams faced each other. Sri Lanka must take the positive momentum from that win and use it in the upcoming ODI series starting from August 20th.
Here is why India shouldn’t take Sri Lanka lightly in the upcoming ODI series:
#5 A new captain and hope for change in fortunes
With Angelo Mathews deciding to resign as captain from all formats post a string of defeats at home and away over the past year or so , Sri Lanka have appointed Upul Tharanga as their captain of their ODI team. He was appointed as a stand-in captain when Mathews was injured earlier and now has become their full time captain.
Upul Tharanga has been a steady influence at the top of the order for almost a decade for Sri Lanka, but he has been inconsistent and hasn’t lived up to his potential completely. As a senior member of the team it’s the right decision to appoint him as the full time captain of this team which has some exciting players but lacks a leader who can convert this potential into positive results.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain for Sri Lanka, a new change in leadership and that too someone who has been around for a while now, could make their fans hope for good and positive things to happen. As a new leader, he can bring in his fresh perspective and his own thoughts which is probably what this team needs to improve their performances and get more results in their favour.