Ind-SL-WI tri-series: Top players to watch out for

West Indies will play host to Sri Lanka and India as the cricket continues days after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy. The triangular series is a format that makes for exciting clashes and it has been used relatively scarcely in the last few years due to the advent of the T20 format.

India will go to the Caribbean in high spirits after their Champions Trophy triumph. They would be eager to experiment with their squad as few players did not get an opportunity to display their talent in England. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan team is a work in progress. They reached the semifinals in the Champions Trophy, but the team is still taking shape under the leadership of Angelo Matthews. West Indies have named a 13-man squad for the first half of the series and have retained largely the same players who participated in the Champions Trophy.

The tournament will be a competitive event in itself, and the priority will be to claim victory but the teams will also have their eyes set on the larger goal, the 2015 World Cup. India and West Indies have a relatively young line-up of players who can form the nucleus of that vision, whereas Sri Lanka need to assess if the experienced campaigners can continue to play a part in the side or whether new talent needs to step up. Thus, a number of players’ performances will be under heavy scrutiny. On the other hand, there will be some players who have grown in confidence since the Champions Trophy and will take centre-stage to take their side to victory in the tournament.

Here is a list of the top players who will make a difference to the eventual result of the competition:

7. Ajantha Mendis 

The mystery spinner is making a return to One-Day International cricket as the Sri Lankan selectors have decided to show a little more trust in him. The bowler was not a part of the Champions Trophy squad and was constantly being sidelined by the tag of being a T20 specialist. Given the success of R Ashwin and Sunil Narine in ODI cricket, Ajantha Mendis’s inclusion in this side might prove to be a good decision.