(Cricket news) India will be hosting Asia Cup winners Sri Lanka for 3 T20Is. The first one will be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Hardik Pandya is the captain of India as all the 3 format players have been rested. The series will be a good opportunity for players to cement their place in the T20I squad. The last time Sri Lanka played India in a bilateral T20 series, India won 3-0 and the men in blue will be hoping for a similar result. With the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship coming up, T20Is aren’t a priority in the bigger picture. Having said that, it is still important that the T20 specialists take things seriously.
India’s possible playing XI:
Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal
Bench: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar
Shubman Gill is all set to finally make his T20I debut after impressing in the other two formats. This series is very important for Harshal Patel who will be looking to take his place back in the side. The likes of Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal will be keen to put in a good performance in the T20Is to get ahead in the ODI pecking order.
Sri Lanka’s possible playing XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Dhanajaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Pramod Madushan.
Bench: Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashen Bandara, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Dunith Wellalage, Nuwan Thushara
Sri Lanka will be heavily reliant on Wanindu Hasaranga in all 3 departments. He is the most experienced IPL player in this squad and has played a lot of games at the Wankhede. The same with Maheesh Theekhana who’s bowling in the powerplay will be very useful. Sri Lanka will be looking to go all in for this tour as they didn’t win a single game last time around.
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