India began the new Gautam Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav era with a convincing 43-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I. It was a comprehensive performance from the Men in Blue as Suryakumar led his team from the front with a blistering 26-ball 58 on Saturday. It was a sensational start to Suryakumar's regime as a permanent T20I captain, but he won't get much time to celebrate as India will be seen in action once again on Sunday against the hosts.
India produced an emphatic show with the bat and smashed 213/7 after Charith Asalanka asked them to bat first. However, they were ineffective with the ball in the first half of the innings and missed one specialist bowler in the line-up, but they managed to turnaround things in the last 10 overs to register a clinical win and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue might make a change in their line-up to accommodate another bowling option. Riyan Parag, with three wickets, might have made a strong case for himself despite a flop show from the bat. But it would be unfair to drop Rinku Singh from the XI after he got the chance to come to bat in the final over of the innings.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka might retain the same XI from the first T20I as they are also facing some fitness concerns in their camp. Kusal Mendis (45 off 27 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (79 off 47 balls) set a good platform for the hosts in the chase, but they just failed to capitalise on that. From 149 for 2, Sri Lanka lost eight wickets for just 21 runs as the final quarter of the match was dominated by the Indian bowlers after a listless first 15. They need to evaluate quickly what went wrong for them on Saturday.
{{/usCountry}}On the other hand, Sri Lanka might retain the same XI from the first T20I as they are also facing some fitness concerns in their camp. Kusal Mendis (45 off 27 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (79 off 47 balls) set a good platform for the hosts in the chase, but they just failed to capitalise on that. From 149 for 2, Sri Lanka lost eight wickets for just 21 runs as the final quarter of the match was dominated by the Indian bowlers after a listless first 15. They need to evaluate quickly what went wrong for them on Saturday.
{{/usCountry}}India Probable Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Riyan Parag, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka Probable Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka