ICC Champions Trophy semi-final: Top five players to watch out for when India face Sri Lanka

India and Sri Lanka are familiar opponents. The subcontinental teams have played a great deal of cricket with each other. The novelty of the fixture might have faded, but the intensity of a Champions Trophy semi-final will produce enough excitement for the viewers who will be hoping for a lively affair after a pretty one-sided game between England and South Africa. The Oval finally produced a pace-friendly wicket, but it is unlikely to be the case at Cardiff. It is likely to be a subcontinental style battle in which a lot of runs are scored and spinners are involved.

India have had a flawless campaign in the tournament so far as they come into this knockout game having won all of their fixtures. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are peaking at the right time. They had a disappointing start to the tournament when they lost out to the Kiwis in a low-scoring game that went down the wire. They produced a massive effort against England, chasing down a mammoth target of 293 with relative ease. Having beaten Australia in their last and crucial group fixture, they will be high on confidence. The only area of concern for India will be the fact that their middle order has not been exposed to any pressure due to the form of their openers.

Here is a list of five players who can show their steel in the grand semi-final to clinch a victory for their side:

5. Mahela Jayawardene

The stylish right-hander came into this competition having scored very few runs, but he has turned it around when it mattered the most. His innings against Australia was a match-winning one and exhibited true determination as he had to step out of his comfort zone to score those runs. Batting at the death, he had to target the boundaries and he did that with timing instead of brute muscle. Along with Kumar Sangakkara, he will have the responsibility of playing a long innings around which other batsmen can make their contributions. India will be wary of the threat he poses and will want to ensure that he does not repeat the performance that came in the World Cup final.