World Cup 2019, India vs Sri Lanka: 5 Sri Lankan players to watch out for
The World Cup 2019 has almost reached its business end as the four semifinalists in India, Australia, New Zealand, and England have been finalized. The Indian team, led by Virat Kohli find themselves in a great position as they have an opportunity to top the points table.
Facing Sri Lanka in their last group stage encounter at Headingley in Leeds, a win for India and a loss for Australia in the latter's final game will propel the Men in Blue to the top of the points table.
Looking at the game in hand, India will be pipped to clinch a win against Sri Lanka but will need to be wary of the threat that the Dimuth Karunaratne-led side brings to the table. The Sri Lankans have three wins from eight games, including a morale-boosting win against hosts England.
With the squad hosting some fresh names and players with a lot of experience, Sri Lanka will be keen to finish off their 2019 World Cup campaign with a win against a strong Indian side.
Here, we take a look at five Sri Lankan players who could make a big impact against India based on their abilities and present form:
#5 Dimuth Karunaratne
A technically gifted batsman at the top of the order, Sri Lanka's skipper Dimuth Karunaratne will be keen on notching up a big score against India in his last World Cup 2019 match as captain.
In this World Cup, he has scored 212 runs at an average of 42.40. His notable innings were 52* against New Zealand, 30 against Afghanistan, 97 against Australia & 32 against West Indies.
His technical ability makes him capable to face the formidable pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. All through the tournament, Karunaratne has made decent starts barring a couple of matches and he will need to come good to challenge the Indian bowling unit.