Sanju Samson OUT, Rishabh Pant As Wicketkeeper-Batter? India's Likely Playing XI For 1st T20I Against Sri Lanka

T20 World Cup champions India is all set to face Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series. The series against Sri Lanka will also mark the start of Gautam Gambhir’s era in Indian cricket. The former opening batter was appointed as India’s head coach after Rahul Dravid’s contract came to an end in June 2024.

In Gambhir’s first series, Indian players would like to come up with a big show and get the better of Sri Lanka. India will play under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav in the T20I series after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game last month.

The first T20I of the India-Sri Lanka series is scheduled to take place at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday (July 27). After Rohit and Virat Kohli’s retirement from T20Is, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are all set to open the innings for the Men in Blue in the series opener, and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and captain Suryakumar are expected to bat at No. 3 and 4, respectively, like they did in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Hardik Pandya is part of India’s T20I squad, and the 30-year-old all-rounder will be a key player for India both with the bat and ball in the first T20I. T20 World Cup winners Shivam Dube and Axar Patel are also expected to find a place in India’s playing XI, which means only one out of Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, and Riyan Parag will get a chance to play in the series opener. Since Rinku has made a big name for himself as a finisher, there are high chances that he will get preference over the other two.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, who finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2024, is all set to lead the pace attack and will have Mohammed Siraj for support. Hardik and Dube’s presence in the playing XI will give India the luxury to go only with two specialist pacers and include Ravi Bishnoi or Washington Sundar as a spinner.

Both Bishnoi and Sundar played in all five matches against Zimbabwe earlier this month and produced a good show, but since Axar is already there, only one of them is likely to get a chance in the series opener.

India’s likely playing XI for the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj