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{/source}The outcome of the five matches ODI series between India and Sri Lanka has been already decided as the visiting team has taken the invincible 3-4 lead in the four matches that has been played so far, but by no means will any of the side will take the final ODI as a mere formality.
This match holds a lot of importance for both the teams; if India wins today they will reach the top of the ICC one-day rankings alongside Australia. For the home team it holds equal importance, they dominated Pakistan not so long ago and will be gutted by their performance against the Indians, a win in the final ODI will give them confidence for the rest of the season.
The series so far has seen a lot of brilliant performances from either side and the final match should be no different. Both the teams have got some tremendous players who can change the match for their team, let’s have a look at some of them.
Players to watch out from the Sri Lankan team:
TM Dilshan: He has only one fifty plus score to his name and he will be mighty disappointed with his efforts. Dilshan has a brilliant record against the Indians, but he has struggled against the Indian seamers in this series. He will be looking to end the series on a high.
Mahela Jayawardene: The Sri Lankan captain has played only one good innings in this series so far. There is a lot of responsibility on his especially after the injury to Kumar Sangakkara. Jayawardene in this series is batting too far down the order to give opportunities to the young Chandimal, but that ploy has not worked for him.
Angelo Mathews: He has done quite well as an all-rounder in the series. Mathews looks fit and is bowling a lot of overs for his team, batting wise he did struggle in the last match but did well prior to that innings. Mathews is a world-class all-rounder and Sri Lanka will need him with both bat and ball if they want to win against the strong Indian team.
Thisara Perera: He was very effective in the first two matches but has lost the rhythm since then. He has leaked runs in the past two games and his swing is missing. Perera was the man responsible for Sri Lanka’s win in the second match and the home team will be hoping for him to repeat his feat.
Players to watch out from the Indian team:
Virat Kohli: Sri Lanka has seen a lot of this batsman and they will be very well aware of the threat he possesses. Kohli has matured as a batsman and is one of the bets one-day batsman going around. He already has two match-winning hundreds in the series and it is the ease with which he bats that amazes everyone.
Suresh Raina: If Kohli is the hundred men for India, then Raina is the man who scores match winning fifties for the visiting team. Raina has three fifty plus score to his name and the best thing about his batting is that he is there till the end to finish the match. Raina is itching to bat up the order and this might be the match where he gets his wish fulfilled.
Irfan Pathan: Pathan’s performance in this series will do a world of good to this talented bowling all-rounder. Pathan has shared the new ball with Zaheer and has been very impressive. He is swinging the ball and that makes him doubly dangerous. His batting has also impressed one and all.
R Ashwin: Ashwin has been good in this series. He has always bowled well against the Sri Lankan batsmen and this series has been no different. Ashwin has been steady and has bowled with a lot of control. This series was a very important one for him keeping in mind that Harbhajan is knocking on the door and Ashwin has delivered. He will be looking for a ood finish to what has been a good series for him.
By Gaurav Jha
Indian Sports News