5 reasons why Sri Lanka will be stronger in the T20I against India

#4 Emphasis put on selecting T20 specialists

Dickwella sure can smash a bad ball

In this version of the game, you need multi-dimensional players who can adapt to any situation almost as soon as they come into the crease. They need to have that skill in them to score quickly right from the start.

The need of the hour is for the team to have players equipped for this format of the game, players who mostly play only T20s.

Someone like a Thisara Perera or a Lasith Malinga, who have extensive track records in the T20 format playing in different T20 leagues across the globe, would need to bring out their A game and deliver in this game.

It’s up to them to bring in their T20 experience and make sure they deliver their slower balls and yorkers accurately against this dominant and attacking Indian batting line up.

Sri Lanka need Malinga to get his form back as he was well below his best in the ODI series If there is one format where Malinga can turn things around in his favour, it is the T20 format.

On the batting front, their openers -- Tharanga and Dickwella -- would have to get them off to a flying start so that the likes of Perera, Mathews and Shanaka can finish the innings well.

Since it’s a compressed format, the middle overs struggle shouldn’t be that much of a hurdle for the Lankans. Specialists like Perrera, Shanaka and the rest should provide the edge the team needs and the Sri Lankan fans would hope that they can deliver and provide them with some joy in the T20I against India.