The Indian cricket team is set to kick off the new Gautam Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav era in T20 international cricket with their first match against Sri Lanka on Saturday. The team is expected to make some bold decisions as they look to move forward from the retirement of T20 stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja after the T20 World Cup 2024 victory. Gambhir and Suryakumar will have some tough decisions to make as they choose India’s playing XI for the series opener.
In the opening department, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are likely to be the chosen pair. With Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad not in the squad, India lacks a third recognized opener to challenge Jaiswal and Gill for the top spots. Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant are expected to follow in the No. 3 and No. 4 positions in the lineup.
Pant’s return means that Sanju Samson may not feature in the team, unless he is selected as a specialist batsman. Hardik Pandya is a sure choice at No. 5, with competition from Shivam Dube. However, due to the balance Hardik brings with his bowling, he is likely to edge out Dube for the pace-bowling all-rounder position at No. 5. Dube’s batting prowess, especially against spin-heavy teams, poses a tough decision for the team management.
Either Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube will most likely take the No. 6 spot, both capable of playing the role of the finisher. Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are the spin-bowling all-rounders, with Ravi Bishnoi as the specialist third spinner. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are expected to lead the pace attack.
India’s expected playing XI against Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh/Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
Topics covered in this article
