India made a string of changes to their team composition in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Deepak Hooda made his debut in the shortest format while Sanju Samson returned to the team as Rohit Sharma named a rejigged starting eleven after opposition skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bowl.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah also came back to the national set-up. Bumrah was rested for the white-ball series against West Indies while Jadeja was recovering from an injury. Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also found a place in the playing XI.
Overall, India introduced six changes from the last game against the West Indies in Kolkata.
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"We were looking to chase as well, not sure how the pitches in India plays. But we now know we need to bat well, the last time we played here, about 4 years back, the pitch played well. Nothing changes as far as the goals of the team are concerned, need to do the right things as a team, need to keep ticking all the right boxes," said Rohit at the toss.
About Ruturaj Gaikwad's absence from the eleven, Rohit said that the young opener was set to play the game but a wrist injury ruled him out. "It's a challenge for the new gutsy - from the last game we played, we have 6 changes. Ruturaj was supposed to play, but he has a wrist injury and will not play today," said the skipper.
{{/usCountry}}About Ruturaj Gaikwad's absence from the eleven, Rohit said that the young opener was set to play the game but a wrist injury ruled him out. "It's a challenge for the new gutsy - from the last game we played, we have 6 changes. Ruturaj was supposed to play, but he has a wrist injury and will not play today," said the skipper.
{{/usCountry}}"Ruturaj Gaikwad complained of pain in his right wrist, which is affecting his batting. He was unavailable for selection for the first T20I. The BCCI Medical Team is examining him," stated the BCCI on the batter's injury.
For Sri Lanka, Dinesh Chandimal came in for Kusal Mendis, while Jeffrey Vandersay replaced Maheesh Theekshana.
"We'll bowl, it's a very good pitch, we have been bowling well in the last few games, so backing our strengths. Have had a couple of days to recover. We have a couple of injuries - Chandimal and Vandersay are in, they replace Theekshana and Kusal Mendis," said Shanaka after winning the toss.
The home assignment against Sri Lanka is India's second hurdle in their build-up to this year's T20 World Cup. India had defeated the West Indies 3-0 in their previous T20I assignment.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal(w), Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka(c), Chamika Karunaratne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara