India vs. Sri Lanka: 5 factors that can change the course of the World Cup T20 finals

We are just a day away from the 2014 World Cup T20 finals. Both the Indian and Sri Lanka fans are overwhelmed by the performances of their respective teams, so far. India entered the tournament with 3 series losses in a row and not having entered the semi-finals of a T20 World Cup in their previous 3 attempts, but they have displayed what you can refer to as 'total cricket', making all three departments count and have been very aggressive, which is a word you generally don't associate with a MS Dhoni-led team.Indian could become the very first team in the history of cricket to hold three major ICC trophies at the same time if they get the better of Sri Lanka tomorrow: ICC 50-overs World Cup, Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup.Lankans, determined to dedicate the trophy to Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawerdene who will be retiring from the shortest format at the end of the World Cup, will not let anything to come between them and the trophy. Sangakkara has had a miserable tournament, so far, while Jayawerdene entering the tournament in no form not just found it but played a match-winning knock against England, as well. As they wait to take revenge on the Indians for their 2011 World Cup T20 loss we here take a look into 5 factors that can change the course of the game.

#5 Virat Kohli

Let's be honest. Kohli is a player who gives away everything in his power to win the game. He is a player who lives to play the game and lives every bit of it. Always hungry for runs, not for a single moment does he take being dismissed easily, even when he goes past the 3-figure mark. Fact is that he likes chasing rather than to put up a score to defend. He is in red hot form and has brought stability to the middle order. If the Sri Lankan bowlers allow him to settle and get used to the condition, there is no getting him out. Although the Indian team is very much dependent on Kohli, they have batsmen, such as Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, who can change the course of the game in a couple of overs.

#4 Lasith Malinga

The form that he is in and the type of bowler he has always been, Malinga can turn the game on its head even if you take into account that it's the Indian batsmen he will be facing tomorrow. He makes it a point to test the batsmen and never gives room to them to free their arms. The variation in pace only adds to the troubles. Despite having been able to get the better of him, thanks to IPL, in the last few years, Malinga is one such game changer who the Indians should not overlook upon.

#3 Fielding

There is no doubt that it has become the most important aspect in limited overs cricket. Good fielding can cut the opponent score by up to 30 runs, and that's a lot of runs in 20-overs cricket. Both the teams do have some excellent fielders in their line-up; India would be benefited by the inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane, who is as good as any fielder in the world at the moment when it comes taking catches and saving runs, 'throwing arms' from the deep being one exception.

#2 Toss

The team which wins the toss will have an upper hand in the game right from the start. Indians like to chase, and they have evolved to become a great chasing team over the years. They proved it in their semi-final clash against South Africa, as well, chasing down a huge total of 172 with 5 balls to spare without breaking a sweat. The most notable aspect about the Indian chases in the recent past has been that they have never let the pressure to mount. They bat very deep, and they have the game's finest finishers in MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the latter in sub-continental conditions. So, Sri Lanka will be in a dilemma of what of do if they win the toss unlike India who will be happy to chase it down any day.

#1 Storms

When I talk about storms, I do not mean the 'Gayle storm', but about the real storms that carry the game's most dreaded enemy these days: rain. There have been moments of rain playing spoilsport before, the most recent being the first World Cup T20 semi-finals between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Weather forecasts do suggest that there will be storms bringing in rain during the finals, which if turns out to be true, will be a pity.