It's batting vs batting as India take on SL in Champions Trophy

India and Sri Lanka have played each other so many times over the last few years that their meeting in the Champions Trophy almost seems preordained. No ICC tournament could possibly be complete without these two subcontinental neighbours going head to head. Sri Lanka will be looking for a little revenge after losing the 2011 World Cup final to India, but they go up against a side high on confidence after rolling through their group matches in some style. Shikhar Dhawan has been the destroyer with the bat, while Ravindra Jadeja has shown his left-handed darts can be just as effective in foreign climes, though conditions in England have been very un-English like with the ball refusing to seam around. It is the same names that will lead the way for Sri Lanka. Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are still the backbone of the side, along with Tillakaratne Dilshan. Rangana Herath may have taken over the spinner mantle only after Muttiah Muralitharan retirement, but at 35 he is no spring chicken either. India, on the other hand, has a host of new faces putting their hands up and being counted. Sri Lanka will need their old guard to be at their best if they want to upstage the Indians, who are now the favourites to win the tournament. [caption id=“attachment_888009” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Dhawan has been India’s standout performer. Getty Images[/caption] We break down the three key battles that we think could have a big say in the outcome of this match: Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Kushal Perera and Kumar Sangakkara Bhuvneshwar has taken a wicket inside his first three overs in each of India’s three games and all three wickets have been left-handers. His ability to swing the ball away from the batsman is what opener Perera will have to counter. Perera has not been in good form this tournament and has his work cut out for him. If he fails, it will mean an early entry for Sangakkara, who will have to solve the same problem. Dhoni likes to give Kumar a long spell with the new ball, so there is every chance of him facing both batsmen. A double-strike by Kumar would hand India the ascendancy in the early going. He has also been very economical, giving away 4.34 runs an over, which adds to the pressure on the batsmen. Ravindra Jadeja vs Mahela Jayawardene With nine wickets and a strike-rate of 18, Jadeja has been India’s top bowler so far in this competition. But in Jayawardene he goes up against a player well equipped to blunt his edge. Jayawardene will need to find ways to milk Jadeja for runs and force him off his length. In his own words, Jadeja likes to bowl in the “right areas” and let the pitch do the rest. If Jayawardene can make him think about where he needs to bowl, Sri Lanka could gain the upper hand and take away India’s most potent weapon this tournament. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma vs Lasith Malinga Dhawan and Rohit have been the best opening pair in the tournament, registering two century partnerships and one half-century partnership. While Rohit has not managed to push on and make a big score, Dhawan has racked up two centuries and is the leading run-scorer in the tournament. Together, they have set the platform for India’s big scores. Malinga almost singlehandedly kept Sri Lanka in the game against New Zealand, taking 4 for 34 and while he was relatively expensive against England and Australia, he was also among the wickets. His yorkers are the most lethal in the game and if he can get it right against India’s opening pair, it will put pressure on a middle order that has not had much of a workout so far. The rest of the Sri Lanka;s