With a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, hosts India will be looking to clinch the trophy in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at New Delhi starting on Saturday.

The visitors on the other hand will be aiming to cap off a dismal calendar year with a positive performance before the attentions are turned towards the limited-overs matches.

As the two sides get ready to battle it out at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, we look at the key talking points ahead of the match.

RANGANA HERATH’S LOSS A BIG BLOW FOR ISLANDERS

The news of Sri Lanka’s veteran spinner Rangana Herath being passed unfit for the Delhi Test due to a back injury will be a big blow to Dinesh Chandimal’s men.

With a relatively inexperienced squad compared to that of the hosts, the absence of the 87-Test veteran will be greatly felt by the visitors. The 39-year-old had also played a handy knock of 67 in the Kolkata Test to hand Sri Lanka a first-innings lead.

The alternatives for the islanders are two wrist spinners in Lakshan Sandakan and Jeffrey Vandersay. While the latter is uncapped at the Test level, the former has only played seven matches in his career to date.

Herath’s absence will be greatly felt by the visitors.

INDIA’S FINAL TEST HURRAH BEFORE THE TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA

With a hotly anticipated tour of South Africa coming up for the Indians at the end of the year, skipper Virat Kohli has talked about using the Sri Lanka series as a platform to prepare for the visit.

An Eden Gardens pitch laden with a green-top was laid out in the first Test to simulate conditions in South Africa. A similar surface was prepared in Nagpur for the second Test though the pitch deteriorated quickly to become a spinner’s paradise.

While Delhi has traditionally been a slower surface aiding the spinners, Kohli’s demand for green tops could mean a different kind of pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla than we have become accustomed to.

The Indian selectors have deferred the selection for the tour of South Africa until the culmination of the Delhi Test and as such, loads of players will be looking to make an impact.

Delhi will be India’s final chance to get it right before the South Africa tour.

INDIA’S OPENING COMBINATION

With three openers in prime form, Virat Kohli and the Indian team management will have a tough decision to make when the team sheet is announced on Saturday. With Murali Vijay marking his return from an injury lay-off with a masterful century in Nagpur, it is expected that the Tamil Nadu batsman will keep his place in the playing XI.

This leaves one spot between the returning Shikhar Dhawan and in-form KL Rahul. While in the past, injuries to one opener or the other meant squad selection wasn’t a headache, a trio of fit and firing openers has opened up a debate as to who deserves the slot in the playing XI.

It will be difficult to drop KL Rahul to make space for the returning Dhawan.