India vs Sri Lanka 2020: 3 Indian players to watch out for

India will begin 2020 with a three-match T20I series against neighbours Sri Lanka. The two Asian nations will lock horns in a short T20I series from January 5th to January 10th. 2019 was a great year for Indian cricket, and the Men in Blue would want to ensure that they start 2020 on a positive note with a series victory over the Sri Lankans.

Vice-captain Rohit Sharma gets a much deserved break for the Sri Lanka series, and will return for the subsequent limited overs series against Australia. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah make their return to the squad for India's first limited overs assignment of 2020.

India’s T20 squad against Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer,Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav,Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar#INDvSL

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 23, 2019

Even with Rohit not playing the series, India are still a strong outfit and it will take something special for Sri Lanka to upset Kohli and company at home.

With that being said, let us look at three Indian players to watch out for in the series.

#3 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah will definitely be the trump card for the Indian side in this T20 series.

It goes without saying that Jasprit Bumrah is India’s best bowler in limited overs cricket. The 26-year-old pace sensation returns to the squad after missing out on the second half of 2019 due to a stress fracture to his lower back. Bumrah’s lanky and quick action, his ability to mix toe crushing yorkers with sharp and well-directed bouncers makes him an asset for the Indian side.

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Kohli without any doubt, will once again turn to Bumrah to weave magic with the ball. Bumrah is one bowler who can rip through any batting line-up, and the pace spearhead will definitely be the trump card for the Indian side in the T20I series.

#2 Shreyas Iyer

Iyer has displayed a temperament that is far beyond his limited international exposure.

He is only 25 years old, and has played just 14 T20Is, but Shreyas Iyer has displayed a temperament that is far beyond his limited international exposure. The right-handed batsman was in scintillating form in the recent home ODI series against the West Indies, with scores of 70 and 53 in the first two ODI games. But most importantly, he seems to be the answer to India’s woes in the no.4 slot.

Blessed with a calm temperament, Iyer can act as the catalyst around whom the other batsmen can rally around. He can seamlessly switch between caution and aggression, and put the opposition under pressure. With the T20 World Cup coming up towards the end of the year, Iyer will indeed be looking to make a strong statement in the first T20 series of the year.

#1 Virat Kohli

If Sri Lanka don’t get Kohli out early, then they will be in for a long leather hunt.

Virat Kohli is a name that hardly needs any introduction. The batting maestro has emerged as one of the greatest batsmen in the post-Sachin Tendulkar era, and has thwarted bowling attacks with the bat all around the world. Kohli is the leading run-scorer in T20 cricket, and has scored a record 24 fifties in the shortest format of the game.

The dynamic Indian skipper was in blazing form with the bat in the three-match T20I series against the West Indies. In the first T20I, it was Kohli’s rampaging 50-ball 94 that enabled India to cross the line. In the third T20I against the Windies, Kohli again blasted the opposition with the disdain of a monarch, scoring a whirlwind 70* off just 29 balls. And for the record, Kohli averaged a colossal 77.67 in 2019 in T20 cricket.

Sri Lanka will definitely be wary of the nightmares that a master batsman like Kohli can give the opposition, and if they don’t get him early, then they will be in for a long leather hunt.