India will face Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Saturday. The three-match series will mark the beginning of Suryakumar Yadav‘s stint as T20I skipper, having replaced Rohit Sharma, who retired after the Men in Blue’s triumph in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Gautam Gambhir is the new head coach of the Indian team.
The second T20I will take place on July 28, and the third on July 30. After the series, both sides will clash in ODIs.
Shubman Gill will open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
They batted well against Zimbabwe. Suryakumar Yadav is likely to bat at the No.3 slot.Rishabh Pant will take the No.4 slot in the batting order. Rinku Singh has a point to prove and will be at No.5. Hardik Pandya, who India’s top performer in the T20 World Cup, will be at no. 6. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar will occupy the next two slots.
Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj will complete the playing XI.
India’s likely XI vs Sri Lanka:
Top order – Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav
Middle order – Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh
All-rounders – Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar
Bowlers – Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj
