19 August,2017 06:10 PM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
mid-day lists five Indian players who Sri Lanka should be wary of in the ODI series starting tomorrow
Shikhar Dhawan
If Gabbar's Test form is anything to go by then the Sri Lankans should be really scared of him. The southpaw didn't score too many runs in his last three ODIs against the West Indies, but he compensated for that by scoring the two Test hundreds against the Lankans at a brisk pace recently. In the first Test in Galle, Dhawan showed his prowess with the bat by amassing 126 runs in just a single session. He started at 64 after lunch and ended at 190 by tea.
His last 10 innings: 4, 5, 2, 63, 87, 21, 46, 78, 125, 68
Career stats: Matches 86, Runs 3589, 100s 10, 50s 21, Average 43.76, Strike rate 91.23
Rohit Sharma
Rohit will be itching to get going. The Mumbai opener returned after a long lay-off and scored 91, 78, 12, 123' and a duck in the Champions Trophy. He was then rested from the West Indies tour and didn't figure in the Test squad against Sri Lanka. Rohit will be hungry like never before to go out to the middle and give India a flying start. Every time Rohit has scored big upfront, India have won matches.
His last 10 innings: 0, 123', 12, 78, 91, 70, 11, 13, 15, 14
Career stats: Matches 158, Runs 5435, 100s 11, 50s 31, Average 42.46, Strike rate 84.56
Virat Kohli
On his day, the Indian skipper can single-handedly change the complexion of a game. Kohli scores his runs so quickly that if he stays on the wicket for close to 15-20 overs then India can easily look for a very healthy total. Currently, his Test form has been a little wobbly, but in ODIs, Kohli is undoubtedly one of the most feared batsmen playing the game. Except for that rare failure in the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, he has been in fairly good form with the bat.
His last 10 innings: 111', 3, 11, 87, 32', 5, 96', 76', 0, 81'
Career stats: Matches 189, Runs 8257, 100s 28, 50s 43, Average 54.68, Strike rate 91.06
Hardik Pandya
No youngster has made an impact on Indian cricket so quickly as much as this Vadodara all-rounder has. He came from the T20 school but has taken both ODI and Test cricket by storm. His power-packed batting, fast bowling and extraordinary fielding makes him an all-rounder in the true sense of the word. Sri Lanka won't forget his 96-ball 108 with eight fours and seven sixes in the last Test so easily. You can expect more of that kind of stuff from Pandya in the ODIs as well.
His last 10 matches: DNB & 1-27, 20 & 3-40, DNB & 2-32, 4 & 0-32, DNB, 76 & 1-53, DNB & 0-34, DNB & 1-52, 9 & 0-51, 20' & 2-43
Career stats: Matches 17, Runs 289, 50s 2, Average 41.28, Strike rate 135.04, Wickets 19, Best Bowling 3-31
Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah, 23, a fast bowler from Ahmedabad with a round-arm action, emerged on the scene as a T20 specialist. But he is slowly making his mark as a death over specialist in ODIs too. Bumrah's deadly yorkers with impeccable line and length and disguised slower ones are making life difficult even for the best in the business. He is coming from a long and well-deserved break and should be fit and fresh to hunt the Sri Lankans down in the coming few days.
His last 10 matches: 0-68, 2-39, 2-28, 0-52, 0-23, 1-68, 2-81, 2-79, 1-16, 2-52
Career stats: Matches 16, Wickets 26, Best bowling 4-22, Economy 4.92, Average 26.42
