India take on Sri Lanka in the final of Tr-nation series on Thursday. With the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the side, it won’t be easy for Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ravi Ashwin, who were impressive in the last match. Meanwhile, Virat has showed some flair in his batting and can surely spoil the party of Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews who are doing well with the ball. Rohit Sharma has played some crucial knocks so far but he needs to convert his good starts into big scores.

Here we bring to you the players to watch out for in the match between India and Sri Lanka:

Virat Kohli: Kohli hasn’t been able to apply himself as much as he would like to. In first couple of matches, he had a tough time but the innings against Windies was absolutely smashing. He needs to continue that form in the final of the tri-series. He has been troubled with the short-balls and needs to take care of that, especially against Mathews who used it quite smartly in the third game of the tournament.

Rohit Sharma: Sharma needs to get his act together, especially when he is either close to 50 or just crossed that mark. Rather than throwing caution to the wind, he needs to value his wicket. His daring ideas have proved to be costly for him.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: In last match, he was almost throwing hand-grenades at the Lankan batsmen. His outswing might have given nightmares to the likes of Jayawardene and all other left-handed batsmen who were beaten by him in the last match. His control over the swing makes him look even more dangerous and that’s why there is no doubt about him being the find of the season for India.

Ravi Ashwin: Ashwin has always been the saviour for Indian team because of his ability to restrict the flow of runs makes him the best attacking option for his captain. Apart from resticting the run-flow, he has also been able to bag quite a few wickets in the tri-series so far.

Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews:Mathews has played a captain’s knock in few matches and has also been brilliant with the ball. This has been the best period of Lankan cricket under his captaincy and he would be looking to continue his good run in the last game of the tournament. He needs to use Malinga and Herath quite smartly to outwit strong Indian batting.

Mahela Jayawardene: Jayawardene can make the life miserable of Indian bowlers which was quite evident when he played a spectacular innings of 107 runs earlier in this tournament. His wicket at early stages is what Bhuvaneshwar would be looking to get, otherwise he can be really explosive on his 400th ODI appearance.

Lasith Malinga: Malinga has been more on an economical side in this series so far and would be looking to improve his record against India which has been as good as he would like to see. He has been used as first change at times which has backfired for the team as opposition tries to milk the less inexperienced bowlers. If he comes on with the new ball even for four to five overs, it can have a significant impact, especially if rain comes into play.

Rangana Herath: Herath would be looking to put some good performance in this match, especially when it is a do or die situation for his side. He did well in the first ODI and can surely turn the tables if Sri Lanka gets a chance to bowl first on the wicket of Kingston Oval.

By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network