5 reasons why India shouldn't take Sri Lanka lightly

Sri Lanka are going through a horrible phase as a cricketing nation off late. Lot of transition in their team coupled with the lack of experienced and quality players on their bench is compounding problems for Sri Lanka. What makes it even more worrisome is the fact that they lost an ODI series against Zimbabwe at home very recently.

Heading into the ODI series at home against India in a few days’ time, Sri Lanka, going by their recent form, have nothing to lose. Though most of the people are not giving them too much of a chance to beat India, we must not forget that the Sri Lankan team can be very competitive and could give this Indian team a run for their money.

What we must not forget that against a full strength Indian team , Sri Lanka were able to chase down a target of 322 runs in their Champions Trophy encounter which was the last time these two teams faced each other. Sri Lanka must take the positive momentum from that win and use it in the upcoming ODI series starting from August 20th.

Here is why India shouldn’t take Sri Lanka lightly in the upcoming ODI series:

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#5 A new captain and hope for change in fortunes

Sri Lanka v South Africa - ICC Champions Trophy

With Angelo Mathews deciding to resign as captain from all formats post a string of defeats at home and away over the past year or so , Sri Lanka have appointed Upul Tharanga as their captain of their ODI team. He was appointed as a stand-in captain when Mathews was injured earlier and now has become their full time captain.

Upul Tharanga has been a steady influence at the top of the order for almost a decade for Sri Lanka, but he has been inconsistent and hasn’t lived up to his potential completely. As a senior member of the team it’s the right decision to appoint him as the full time captain of this team which has some exciting players but lacks a leader who can convert this potential into positive results.

With nothing to lose and everything to gain for Sri Lanka, a new change in leadership and that too someone who has been around for a while now, could make their fans hope for good and positive things to happen. As a new leader, he can bring in his fresh perspective and his own thoughts which is probably what this team needs to improve their performances and get more results in their favour.

#4 Good bunch of spinners

Lakshman Sandakan

Sri Lanka have spinners like Lakshman Sandakan, Malinda Pushpakumara, and Dhananjaya De Silva in their squad to face India in the upcoming ODI series.

A good way to curb the attacking batsman from India would be to stem their scoring and in that regard bowlers like Pushpakumara and Sandakan can prove to be very effective as they generally tend to keep to a line and length and get the odd ball to turn thus causing some trouble for the batsmen.

Sandakan proved in the test match that he can trouble the Indians as he was able to get many balls to spin sharply and as a left arm leg spinner, he will add the much-needed X-factor to this Sri Lanka bowling line up. He was also impressive in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, and is one bowler who should be persisted with.

The captain needs to make proper use of him and more importantly, use him as an attacking option and not a bowler to contain the Indian batters. The spin trio could put the breaks in scoring which in modern times is one form of attacking the opposition.

#3 Angelo Mathews can play to his potential without the burden of captaincy

Angelo Mathews

Angelo Mathews has had a rough last 6-9 months where he was burdened with a listless team which was unable to cope with various conditions and opposition which directly impacted his performance as a batsman.

Mathews has the ability to adapt to different playing conditions very well and he has the skills to score quickly if required, and in the current team he seems to have the best technique. It's high time that Mathews shows up against India if Sri Lanka stand a chance to compete strongly in this series.

Without the presence of Dinesh Chandimal in the batting line-up, Mathews needs to step up and take up the responsibility of holding the innings together. He needs be the foil for attacking batsmen like Niroshan Dickwella and possibly Dhananjaya De Silva and Thissara Perrera to come in and play their own, natural game without worrying too much about the match situation.

Without the burden of captaincy, Mathews can play with a freer mindset and he should go out and express himself.

#2 The trump card: Niroshan Dickwella

Dickwella sure can strike a ball

It is promising to see how the young Niroshan Dickwella has stepped up as the opener in the shorter formats. He is a dynamic batsmen who has a wide range of shots. He has shown capability to score quick runs at the top of the order, and off late, he has matured as a batsman who is able to go on and get some big runs in the ODI format.

He was the sole reason of happiness for Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe as he was able to get a lot of runs at a good strike rate. Dickwella reminds us of a left-handed version of TM Dilshan, someone who opens the batting and takes control of the innings through his attacking approach.

In such troubled times where Upul Tharanga has asked for the fans to be more patient with the team, Dickwella offers lot of hope for the fans and the general viewers. Even when his team capitulated meekly against the Indian bowlers, Dickwella showed some spirit and his attacking shots were pleasing to see, especially the sweep shot which he uses a lot with good effect.

His dashing attitude coupled with the fact that he has replaced Dinesh Chandimal as the wicket keeper in all formats for Sri Lanka, emphasises his importance to the side.

#1 Malinga still has some gas left in the tank

Malinga in action

It can be argued that Lasith Malinga is no longer the force he was say a couple of years ago. And that could be true as he has had lot of injuries in that period and he is not getting any younger. Most importantly, batsmen across the world have found ways to negate his threat and score heavily against him.

Sri Lanka are lacking a leader in their bowling attack for some time now, which explains in more ways than one their pathetic form off late across all formats. Looking at this team scheduled to face India in the ODI series, Malinga is by far the most experienced of the bowlers and irrespective of his form, he is the leader of the bowling attack.

Malinga did show glimpses of his true, destructive self in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) which gives the impression that there is still fuel in his tank to trouble the opposition. His slinging action coupled with the fact that he can still bowl yorkers with good consistency in the depth overs makes him a threat even now.

Without the experience of Nuwan Kulasekara who has been axed for this series, Malinga’s importance increases two-fold and Sri Lanka would be hoping that he steps up and delivers.