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Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka’s new T20I captain, won the toss and put India into bat in the first T20I in Pallekele. Asalanka stressed on the need to create the right environment for his young squad, while targeting “more wins than what we’ve had recently.”
Sri Lanka went in with three frontline fast bowlers, with Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga as their frontline spin options. Dasun Shanaka, the former captain, also found a place in the XI as an all-round option.
Suryakumar Yadav, Asalanka’s opposite number, wasn’t too fussed about setting a score. He emphasised on trying to stick to a similar template that brought them T20 World Cup glory last month.
India chose to lengthen their batting, with Axar Patel slotted in at No. 8. It meant they had four specialist bowlers, Axar included, while Hardik Pandya and Riyan Parag were expected to chip in with the ball. Rinku Singh was also preferred as a finisher over Shivam Dube.
The Indian team management also backed Rishabh Pant to continue at No. 3, a spot he held at the T20 World Cup, leaving Sanju Samson waiting for his opportunities.
India, the world champions, are coming off a 4-1 T20I series win with a largely second-string squad in Zimbabwe earlier in the month. Most of the Sri Lankan players are coming in on the back of a month-long Lanka Premier League stint.
Both sides are under a new coach: while Gautam Gambhir takes over from Rahul Dravid full-time, Sri Lanka have handed the reigns to former captain Sanath Jayasuriya on an interim basis.
Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Kamindu Mendis, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Wanindu Hasaranga, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Matheesha Pathirana, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Dilshan Madushanka
India: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Siraj
