The newly appointed permanent T20I skipper for India national cricket team, Suryakumar Yadav is ready to start his campaign against the neighbours Sri Lanka with the first T20I match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. (Match Blog | Scorecard)
This bilateral series marks many firsts as it is the first assignment of new Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir. Sri Lanka's captaincy will also be done by their new skipper Charith Asalanka, who had a brilliant run in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024.
Toss Updates:
Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and invited India to bat first.
Playing XIs:
India: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Riyan Parag, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
A high-scoring match is on the cards. The pitch looks good and might get slower once the ball loses its hardness. There are some cracks on the surface as well which bowlers can use. The wind is blowing and the atmosphere is cool and pleasant.
Sanju Samson, Khaleel Ahmed, and Shivam Dube missed the selection in the playing XI. Washington Sundar, who was the Player of the Series in Zimbabwe was also not selected in the final XI of the Indian team.
