India vs Sri Lanka T20I series: New-look India eye win against Sri Lanka
An India vs Sri Lanka series doesn’t quite have the novelty of old, but the white-ball affair will be one of much interest to fans for reasons beyond just the on-field action.
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India vs Sri lanka : First T20IIndia have taken the bold call to move in a new direction in T20I cricket, as this squad excludes senior players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul. All three have been battling with niggling injuries recently and are perhaps being preserved, but their exclusion is still significant.
Hardik Pandya will be the captain of a side with a much younger look, at least in terms of international experience.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hardik Pandya's message to his young T20I team is clear 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/vNRDwx9Tht">https://t.co/vNRDwx9Tht</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvSL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvSL</a> <a href="https://t.co/YGscVCIdUd">pic.twitter.com/YGscVCIdUd</a></p>— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1609969034203889664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Their first assignment will be up against a side they lost to in the crucial Super four round of the 2022 Asia Cup – as well as the side that lifted the title.
Sri Lanka's squad contains no pushovers. They are a side capable of taking it to the big guns in T20I cricket, especially in bilateral series.
That and the fact that Indian conditions are very similar to those in Sri Lanka means there will be no usual home and away advantage for either side.
However, the main focus will be on the Indian team — how they line up and how they play their game.
Pandya was clear about how he wanted his team to approach the game when speaking to the media on the eve of the series.
“We will go out there and give everything. I think things are looking bright. In the future, there is a lot to achieve. I have not achieved anything."
“There will be multiple World Cups in multiple years, so the goal always will be to win the World Cup. I think from now onwards, the goal will be to win the World Cup.”
It’s all well and good in words, but Tuesday’s encounter will give Pandya & co. the first real chance to walk the walk.
And the first actual signal of that intent will be in the playing XI they pick to take to the field in the first game.
Typically, predicting an Indian team is an easy task due to the heavyweights featured in the squad, but this time around, the team is without said heavyweights.
The team could see Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill start as the opening pair, with Suryakumar Yadav promoted to three and Deepak Hooda taking up the number four spot.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fantastic five 😎<br>All set for the T20I series 🇮🇳<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvSL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvSL</a> <a href="https://t.co/pAWq28wkF7">pic.twitter.com/pAWq28wkF7</a></p>— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) <a href="https://twitter.com/yuzi_chahal/status/1609855789791072258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sanju Samson could slot in at number five, with skipper Pandya at six and Axar Patel at seven. At number eight, we could see the return of Harshal Patel, who is a more than decent bat.
At number nine, we will likely see express pacer Umran Malik. Yuzvendra Chahal is expected to bat at ten, and Arshdeep Singh rounds up the team.
As the series moves forward, there could be a change in the XI, giving more opportunities to the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar, and even Ruturaj Gaikwad.
However, the above XI would be the likeliest to start the first T20I and would present a stiff challenge to the Sri Lankan side.