ICC Cricket 2013: Players to Watch in India-Sri Lanka Semifinal Matchup

Either India or Sri Lanka will be advancing to the ICC Champions Trophy final match, and this fixture will feature some of the top players in the entire tournament.

Throughout group play, we’ve seen several great performances from those hitting and those bowling. India and Sri Lanka are the only two teams with a player who has accomplished a century thus far. In terms of bowlers, India has a bit of an edge, but Sri Lanka should be able to hold its own.

Both teams have played very well up to this point in the tournament, with India entering the semifinal undefeated and Sri Lanka with two wins and a close loss during group play.

So, which team is going to get the opportunity to play for the title against England? Well, we’ll have to wait to see who wins, but these players will certainly have a big impact on the result.

Ravindra Jadeja, India

Ravindra Jadeja will easily be the most feared bowler in this semifinal matchup. Jadeja has been unstoppable through India’s three matches during group play. He has a 3.59 economy rate, which is the third-best of any other player who has at least 10 overs. In 68 career ODI matches, Jadeja has a 4.72 economy rate.

Jadeja also has nine wickets to his credit through India’s trio of victories. That’s the third-most of any other bowler, two behind Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand) and one behind James Anderson (England). By the end of the ICC Champions Trophy, Jadeja could easily hold the lead—especially with how he’s played.

Against South Africa, Jadeja had a 3.44 economy rate and a pair of wickets. He was just as good against the West Indies, finishing with a 3.60 economy rate and five wickets. Jadeja made it three straight great performances when India defeated Pakistan, as he allowed 30 runs on eight overs and added a pair of wickets.

Jadeja has been one of the better bats for India too, but it’s clear that he’s much more valuable when he’s bowling. If Jadeja can continue to bowl well when India takes on Sri Lanka, there’s a strong likelihood that the Indians advance to the final.

 

Shikhar Dhawan, India               

Shikhar Dhawan has hit better than any other player at the ICC Champions Trophy. He has a commanding lead in runs scored, strike and batting average. Through India’s first three fixtures of the tournament, Dhawan has scored 264 runs, which is 49 more than the next closest player—who I’ll talk about later.

Dhawan had 114 runs against South Africa, 102 runs against the West Indies and 48 against Pakistan. His pair of centuries is the most of anyone else in the tournament—only one other player has reached the 100-run mark during one match.

India has scored 643 runs in its three victories, meaning that Dhawan has contributed 41 percent of the team’s run production.

Dhawan needs to be successful in the semifinal against Sri Lanka or India might be in a bit of trouble. India still came out on top when he only scored 49, but another performance like that might not get the job done.

 

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara has been nearly just as good as Dhawan and has really helped Sri Lanka advance to the semifinals. He’ll hope to lead his team into the final for the first time since 2002.

Sangakkara has the third-most runs ever at the ICC Champions Trophy, and if India ends up winning the title, he could potentially break the all-time record. He sits 38 runs behind teammate Mahela Jayawardene and 125 behind Chris Gayle, according to ESPN CricInfo. He already has one century in this year’s tournament and has the potential to break it in just one fixture.

With 205 runs, Sangakkara has the second-most runs of anyone in this year’s tournament. He had just 68 runs when Sri Lanka lost to New Zealand, but he followed that up with a 134-run performance against England—who Sri Lanka could potentially face in the final. When Sri Lanka recently beat Australia by 20 runs, he scored three times.

If Sangakkara doesn’t have a strong match against India, his team could easily get bounced from the tournament. His team relies on him to score plenty of runs each time it plays, and if he can’t come through, it will likely be the end for Sri Lanka.