5 Sri Lankan players India should watch out for in the Test series

India’s return to Test action in August sees them take on Sri Lanka and the former will be looking to beat the islanders for the first time away from home in 22 years.Their awful record abroad – India have won just one Test outside of India since 2011 (Lord’s 2014) – does not bode well for the visitors although Sri Lanka are not looking too spritely either, having recently suffered a 2-1 series defeat against Pakistan.If India do come up short once more and extend their 22-year drought in Sri Lanka further, here are five players from the host nation who are likely to be their biggest tormentors.

#1 Kumar Sangakkara

Sanga would want to go out with a bang

Unsurprisingly, Kumar Sangakkara heads the list and the classy left-hander is still demonstrating at the age of 37 why he is one of the finest batsmen of his generation, having showcased prolific form at the World Cup and hitting his 11th Test double-century in New Zealand earlier in the year.

Sangakkara’s efforts against India roughly match his overall career statistics. The batsman averages a tick over 57 and has knocked five centuries at the expense of his subcontinent rivals in 15 Tests.

The Sri Lankan veteran will be keen to give his home fans one last cause for celebration, after announcing in June that he will retire from international cricket following the second Test of this series, although he will continue competing for Surrey – the English county he signed a two-year deal with in January.

Sangakkara hasn’t quite dominated in the manner he has become accustomed to at Surrey, averaging 44 from eight games albeit with three hundreds. Nor did he have a major impact in Sri Lanka’s recent series with Pakistan – his highest score in the two Tests he played was just 50.

However, the slight slump shouldn’t be of too much concern for a player who has excelled remarkably towards the back-end of his career. One last hurrah on home turf is to be expected, nothing less will suffice.