(July 24) According to Sanath Jayasurya, Sri Lanka will try to take advantage of the holes that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja’s absences have created in the Indian XI.
In the forthcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, India will feel the absence of Rohit Sharm, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, according to former captain of Sri Lanka and current interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya. After helping India win the T20 World Cup in the Americas—their first world title in eleven years—Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja made the decision to end their T20I careers. But that’s not all.
The World Cup brought an end to the careers of bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, batting coach Vikram Rathour, and head coach Rahul Dravid.
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Under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, Indian cricket will begin a new chapter with the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The decision to name Suryakumar Yadav the new T20I captain instead of vice captain Hardik Pandya was made in large part thanks to the former India opener.
Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that they chose Surya over Hardik because they wanted a captain whose health was not a concern. Hardik has a history of injuries.
Prior to the first game of the series in Pallekele on Saturday, Jayasurya stated that Sri Lanka would try to take advantage of the holes that Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja’s absences would create in the Indian XI.
“The two greatest players in the world are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Together with Jadeja, we all know where they belong based on their talent and style of cricket play, Jayasuriya remarked. “We need to make the most of their absence because it will be a loss for the Indian team.“
The top two run scorers in T20Is are Rohit and Kohli, and one of the best all-rounders in the competition, Jadeja, has retired. Over the last 15 years or so, the three have combined to lead India to numerous historic T20I victories.
However, talent in Indian cricket is plentiful. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill will take Rohit and Kohli’s places at the top. Given that the selectors think Gill is an all-around cricketer, they have elevated him to vice captain for both the ODI and T20I teams.
After the T20I series, Rohit and Kohli will be back for the three-match ODI series.
Sri Lanka have a new captain in Charith Asalanka
Following Sri Lanka’s first-round T20 World Cup exit, Chris Silverwood resigned as coach, and Jayasuriya assumed interim leadership.
Charith Asalanka has taken over as captain in lieu of Wanindu Hasaranga, who captained Sri Lanka during the competition.
In addition to uncapped all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe, who excelled in the Lanka Premier League competition, Sri Lanka has called up Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando, who were not included in the World Cup squad.
Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera, who was initially included in the 16-person squad, has been ruled out of both the Twenty20 and the One-Day International series against India due to an injury, according to chief selector Upul Tharanga of Sri Lanka. A replacement will be announced shortly.
