5 reasons why India shouldn't take Sri Lanka lightly

#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.