"We have to be careful" - Irfan Pathan picks Sri Lankan players who can be real threats to India

Irfan Pathan has warned Team India against taking Sri Lanka lightly and named a few players who could be real threats to the hosts.

The Men in Blue will face the Lankan Lions in a three-match T20I series, with the first game to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3. Dasun Shanaka will lead the 18-member Sri Lankan side for the series, with Wanindu Hasaranga as his deputy.

While previewing the series on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues', Pathan opined that Hardik Pandya and Co. should be wary of the visitors, saying:

"Sri Lanka is not that bad a team. We know what they did in the Asia Cup. They really did well. We have to be careful."

The former Indian pacer also named a few Sri Lankan players who could pose a challenge to the hosts, elaborating:

"I really feel that Kusal Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga as well as Lahiru Kumara - who has got express pace, Maheesh Theekshana - these four-five guys can be real threats. Their captain Dasun Shanaka, I quite like that pick, he is fearless. He has got that long handle as well when he bats."

Sri Lanka beat India by six wickets in their Asia Cup Super 4 clash in Dubai in September last year. Dasun Shanaka was the Player of the Match in that game, snaring two wickets in as many overs and then smashing an unbeaten 33 off just 18 balls to help his side achieve a 174-run target with one ball to spare.

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"I felt the communication was extremely good" - Irfan Pathan on Hardik Pandya as India captain

Regarding Pandya's appointment as skipper, Pathan said:

"The captaincy Hardik has done, whether it was for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL or at the start for India, I felt the communication was extremely good. He was seen as very agile."

Pathan added that the Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper will have to pay attention to his fitness if he harbors hopes of being India's long-term captain, observing:

"When there was talk about his captaincy, I was extremely impressed with his approach but along with that India will have to keep in mind that if you are making him the long-term captain, they will have to concentrate a lot on his fitness, whether you talk about him or the team management. It will be very crucial going ahead."

Apart from captaining India in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka, Pandya has also been named Rohit Sharma's deputy for the subsequent three-match ODI series against the same opponents.

The team management will have to ensure that the seam-bowling all-rounder's workload and fitness are managed properly considering that he will be a vital cog in India's side at the ODI World Cup later this year.