(July 27), Sanju Samson or Rishabh Pant for India vs. Sri Lanka? Who will Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir select as keeper-batter in their inaugural encounter as captain and coach, respectively?
At the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Friday, India takes on Sri Lanka in the opening Twenty20 International of their forthcoming three-match series. As a result of Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Twenty20 Internationals, Suryakumar Yadav will take over as captain for the first time during this series. Gautam Gambhir, who replaced Rahul Dravid as head coach, will also be in the spotlight.
The first T20I was originally slated for July 26, but it has since been moved to July 27. July 28 is the date of the second T20I, and July 30 is the date of the third. Following the T20Is, ODIs between the two teams will be played. Additionally, since 2021, this will be India’s first bilateral white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are anticipated to open the batting in the first Twenty20 International. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have enormous shows to fill. Gill was left out of the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup; Jaiswal was selected. However, the RR opener did not appear in any games.
Now that Suryakumar has assumed the captaincy permanently, it will be interesting to watch how he handles the responsibility. It will be interesting to see his batting order as well. Over the years, he has established himself at number four, but now that India does not have Rohit and Kohli, he may choose to move up to number three.
Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant will once more engage in a furious debate. Pant was selected for every T20 World Cup match instead of Samson. There is nothing wrong with the left-hander’s suggestion that things will change in Sri Lanka. He might stay at number three in the batting order if India selects Pant.
Rinku Singh does not yet have enough chances. At number five in this series, he will be trying to make a point. His ability to finish tasks could be useful. India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign was greatly aided by Hardik Pandya, particularly in the championship match. Having lost the captaincy to Suryakumar, he will likely be under pressure to perform both with the bat and the ball. Pandya will start at number six, followed by fellow all-rounders Washington Sundar and Axar Patel at numbers seven and eight.
