3 Sri Lanka players who can trouble India in the Test series

India head to Sri Lanka to take on their Asian rivals in a two-match Test series set to commence with the first Test in Galle on August 15. The Sri Lankan side sits in sixth place in the World Test Championship standings, just a spot below India. They were recently beaten in a two-match Test series in the West Indies, managing a fighting draw in the second Test.

They return home to more familiar conditions, where spinners are expected to thrive, against an India side that is under somewhat of a transition and suffers key absences across its squad. Despite the lopsided match-ups in the past, the Lankan Lions do possess players who could influence the game against the Indian team.

Here are 3 Sri Lanka players who could pose a threat to India:

3. Dhananjaya de Silva

Batting all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva has been a mainstay for the Lankan Lions in their red-ball team. De Silva has scored 4320 runs in 67 matches, averaging 39.27 and having scored 13 centuries. Six of those have come at home, and he will once again be primed to play his role as Sri Lanka’s middle-order rock.

The experienced campaigner comes into this series on the back of a century in the first Test against the West Indies, scoring a well-made 129. He scored an unbeaten 119 against India the last time the Men in Blue toured their island neighbours and will be looking to add to that figure on this occasion.

2. Asitha Fernando

While conditions in Sri Lanka are expected to aid the spinners, the heat and the dryness of the surfaces also leave enough for seamers to thrive on the pitches, able to extract conventional swing due to the breeze, along with lateral movement off the surface and reverse swing. This would keep Sri Lanka’s premier fast-bowler, Asitha Fernando, in the game, making him one of the players to watch in this series. 

Fernando was the leading wicket-taker against the West Indies with seven wickets in four innings. He has picked up 29 wickets in 13 games in the island nation, averaging 29.82, and will be the de facto leader of the Lankan pace attack despite the wickets’ conduciveness to spin bowling.

1. Prabath Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka’s quest for a lead spinner who could dominate home Test matches looks to have ended with the emergence of Prabath Jayasuriya. The left-arm spinner is expected to play a key role in this series for the home side. He has picked up 125 wickets in just 23 Test matches, averaging 32.03 at an economy of 3.16. 96 of those wickets have come in home conditions, in just 14 Tests, where he averaged 27.26.

Despite India’s famed prowess against spin bowling, they have shown a weakness against the turning ball of late, and with Jayasuriya able to turn the ball at pace, it could pose a genuine threat. This will be Jayasuriya’s first outing against India and he will be looking to put up a brilliant showing for his side.