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The World Cup 2019 has almost reached its business end as the four semifinalists in India, Australia, New Zealand, and England have been finalized. The Indian team, led by Virat Kohli find themselves in a great position as they have an opportunity to top the points table.
Facing Sri Lanka in their last group stage encounter at Headingley in Leeds, a win for India and a loss for Australia in the latter's final game will propel the Men in Blue to the top of the points table.
Looking at the game in hand, India will be pipped to clinch a win against Sri Lanka but will need to be wary of the threat that the Dimuth Karunaratne-led side brings to the table. The Sri Lankans have three wins from eight games, including a morale-boosting win against hosts England.
With the squad hosting some fresh names and players with a lot of experience, Sri Lanka will be keen to finish off their 2019 World Cup campaign with a win against a strong Indian side.
Here, we take a look at five Sri Lankan players who could make a big impact against India based on their abilities and present form:
#5 Dimuth Karunaratne
A technically gifted batsman at the top of the order, Sri Lanka's skipper Dimuth Karunaratne will be keen on notching up a big score against India in his last World Cup 2019 match as captain.
In this World Cup, he has scored 212 runs at an average of 42.40. His notable innings were 52* against New Zealand, 30 against Afghanistan, 97 against Australia & 32 against West Indies.
His technical ability makes him capable to face the formidable pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. All through the tournament, Karunaratne has made decent starts barring a couple of matches and he will need to come good to challenge the Indian bowling unit.
#4 Avishka Fernando
Having failed to cement a place in the initial games for Sri Lanka, in three key matches, young and upcoming star Avishka Fernando has scored 183 runs at an average of 61 with knocks of 49 versus England, 30 versus South Africa and a fantastic 104 versus West Indies.
His 39-ball 49 comprising of six fours and two sixes was a testament of powerful hitting against both pace & spin while his century against the West Indies was an indication of his ability to build an innings and contribute with some crucial runs when it mattered.
His ability to handle pace and spin alike along with his new found confidence after scoring a century against West Indies for a winning cause makes him a crucial member of Sri Lanka's batting unit against a tough Indian bowling attack.
#3 Kusal Perera
One of Sri Lanka's best ever opening batsmen, Kusal Perera is a veteran of sorts, having represented Sri Lanka in 94 ODI matches at an average of 29.86. An aggressive batsman, Perera does not shy away from putting the bowlers under pressure early on, which makes his batting look very attractive.
In the ongoing World Cup, Perera leads the batting charts for Sri Lanka with 255 runs from six matches, averaging 42.50 with a strike rate of 109.91. The southpaw has three half-centuries from the six games, with his 81-ball 78 his best knock in the World Cup thus far.
In addition to his batting, Perera has been one of Sri Lanka's better fielders, taking seven catches. His technically sound play at the top and ability to score runs with a high strike rate is capable of piling pressure on the Indian bowlers.
#2 Dhananjaya De Silva
A consistent all-rounder who can trouble batsmen with his crafty line and length while bowling off-spin, Dhananjaya de Silva has not yet lit the stage with his batting efforts but is capable of anchoring the middle order.
In this World Cup, de Silva has come in late down the order and has made some starts but has not converted his scores. However, with the ball in hand, he has looked tidy and has five wickets from six games at an economy of just 4.71.
His most notable performance was against Australia. In this match, he contributed with a 30-ball unbeaten 16 and picked up figures of 2/40 from the same game from just eight overs, including the wickets of Australian captain Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja.
Dhananjayas ability to vary his line and length and stem the run flow in the middle overs could be a key component to keep the Indian run-scoring at bay.
#1 Lasith Malinga
One of the greatest fast bowlers of the present generation, Lasith Malinga has proved in the ongoing World Cup that he still has some magic left in him and can trouble the best of batsmen with his toe-crushing yorkers and deceptive slower deliveries.
The spearhead of the Sri Lankan bowling attack, Malinga has a total of 12 wickets from six matches and with an ability to change matches single-handedly, Malinga will be Sri Lanka's 'X-factor' against India.
Sri Lanka will be looking toward Lasith Malinga to provide initial breakthroughs that can expose the Indian middle order. With 43 wickets against India from 39 matches, the pace spearhead can be expected to rattle the Indian batting order.
With this match in all likelyhood Malinga's last ever World Cup game, the pacer will be keen on finishing off on a memorable note and lead Sri Lanka to a win.
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