India vs Sri Lanka, 2017: 5 Indian players to watch out for

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

The veteran off-spinner was one of the first Indian cricketers to be hit by the ODI rotation policy, which was adopted by the national selection committee during the Sri Lanka tour. His horrendous performance in the final of the Champions Trophy in June this year led to his snub in all the 50-over games that India participated in thereafter.

He was advised by the selectors to play county cricket, and thus, we saw Ashwin representing Worcestershire in England this season. He did well in the limited opportunities he got by scalping as many as 20 wickets in just four matches. He even scored a fifty with the bat in his last match of the season.

He then returned to domestic cricket and has done a decent job for the struggling Tamil Nadu side. He dismissed 11 batsmen in three games and has looked ready for the grind.

The 31-year-old will have a point to prove when he steps onto the field against Sri Lanka on Thursday. He was a major contributor to India's rise in Test cricket in the last two years and will look to maintain his ascendency in the longest format of the game.

In conditions that support his bowling style and against an opposition that is clearly below par, betting for Ashwin to succeed would be second nature to any cricket fan.