The neighbouring nations India and Sri Lanka lock horns with each other as Dasun Shanaka-led side won the toss and opted to bowl first in the three-match T20I series opener on Tuesday (January 3).
Star players Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi made their T20I debut for India while Arshdeep Singh missed out on the first T20I.
“Excited. Always been excited to play for the country, but obviously leading now makes it more special. Excited to see how this new bunch of guys express themselves. We were going to bat first. Yes this is a chasing ground but we want to put ourselves in more difficult situations generally in bilaterals. Anyone who comes here we will make sure we'll give them the confidence. Two debutants today - Gill and Mavi. Arshdeep was not available,” India skipper Hardik Pandya said before the match.
“Going to bowl first. Dew factor will be there later. We were doing well in T20Is except the World Cup. We are following the routines. Got the same batting line-up we had previously. Bowlers will be changed,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said after winning the toss.
Pitch report
"Historically this has been an absolute belter for the batters. Small boundaries is one factor," says Deep Dasgupta. "Won't get a better venue to start the year in T20Is. Even bounce and pace on this surface. Will be a tough night for bowlers. The threat of dew will make defending difficult," former India star bowler Ajit Agarkar analyses the pitch.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan(w), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal
Heading into this series, India lost an ODI series against Bangladesh 2-1. However, they came back to win the Test series 2-0. The series win has kept them alive in the WTC final race. They are placed second on the points table at the moment.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, played an ODI series against Afghanistan in November 2022. The series ended 1-1 with Afghanistan winning the first ODI by 60 runs and Sri Lanka coming back to win the third ODI by four wickets. The second ODI was washed out due to rain.
Head to Head
Matches Played – 26
IND Won – 17
SL Won -8
Most Runs For India- Rohit Sharma (411)
Most Runs For Sri Lanka- Dasun Shanaka (309)
Most Wickets For India- Yuzvendra Chahal (20)
Most Wickets For Sri Lanka: Dushmantha Chameera (16)
