Sri Lanka tour of India: Team India will be looking to start 2023 on the right note after enduring a lackluster year in 2022. India will take on the Asia Cup winners Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I on Tuesday.
In Short
- India will start 2023 with the T20I series against Sri lanka
- Gill and Tripathi could be in line to make their T20I debuts
- Sri Lanka will be looking to go with their tried and tested combination
PosterGuy: India are all set to kickstart their new year by taking on the Asian Champions Sri Lanka on their home turf with the first match of the T20I series taking place at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
2022 was a lackluster year for Team India and they will be looking to start 2023 on the right note, having decided to field a young and relatively inexperienced squad for the series against the island nation.
Hardik Pandya will be leading the team with Suryakumar Yadav acting as his vice-captain. The squads for both teams are as follows:
India: Hardik Pandya (captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Yuzvendra Chahal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tripathi
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis , Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay , Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Thushara.
The big question for India heading into the first match will be the opening combination they would opt for. Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are all men in form in white-ball cricket and the openers will be the first major call set to be made on the day. We can expect Gill to make his debut for India in the T20I format and Kishan can be partnering him up top
Rahul Tripathi could make his much-awaited debut for India on Tuesday and could come in at No.3 with Yadav playing in his favourite No.4 spot. The next spot is a toss up between Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson and we expect the latter to get the nod and keep wickets.
Pandya will play the floatter role in the team with Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal expected to be the spinning options. Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh will be the two main pacers, with Harshal Patel offering them support.
Sri Lanka are expected to go with their tried and tested team with Nissanka and Mendis opening the batting. Dhananjaya de Silva will come in at three, followed by Rajapaksa and Asalanka. Captain Shanaka will come in at No.6 with Hasaranaga and Karyunartane following next. Theekshana will be the other spinner in the team with Lahiru Kumara and Pramos Madhushan making up the rest of the bowlers.
Predicted Playing XI
India: Kishan, Gill, Tripathi, Suryakumar, Samson (WK), Pandya (C), Axar, Harshal, Chahal, Arshdeep,Umran Malik.
Sri Lanka: Nissanka, Mendis (WK), Dhanajaya de Silva, Rajapaksa, Asalanka, Shanaka (C), Hasaranga, Karunaratne, Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Pramod Madushan.
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