India's Likely XI For Sri Lanka T20Is (Source: AP/X)KEY HIGHLIGHTS India will play three T20Is in Sri Lanka.
India will tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and as many ODIs in July.
The current squad in Zimbabwe is India's second-string team, with most of the big guns rested, however, the Sri Lanka series would see India's ace players return.
Gambhir has advocated for different teams in each format and he would like to implement the strategy from the Sri Lanka series itself.
India Likely Squad For Sri Lanka T20Is.
India's Likely XI For Sri Lanka T20Is (Source: AP/X)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS India will play three T20Is in Sri Lanka.
The India squad will see big guns return.
This will be the first series for Gautam Gambhir as coach.
India will tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and as many ODIs in July. The series will get underway on July 26, with the first T20I being played at Pallekele International Stadium. India will enter the series as World Champions, having won the T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies and USA. The team is currently playing a five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, leading the series 2-1.
One big change on the Sri Lanka tour will be that veterans Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja won't be part of the T20I squad as they announced their retirements from the format following the World Cup win. The current squad in Zimbabwe is India's second-string team, with most of the big guns rested, however, the Sri Lanka series would see India's ace players return.
Yashasvi Jaiswal Hardik Pandya This will be the first series for Gautam Gambhir as India's head coach. Gambhir has advocated for different teams in each format and he would like to implement the strategy from the Sri Lanka series itself. Only Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson and, who were part of the T20 World Cup squad, are playing in Zimbabwe. The T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series should see the likes of Suryakumar Yadav,, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh return to the team. Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill have done well in Zimbabwe and should also retain their place in the squad along with Jaiswal, Samson and Dube. Gambhir has time and again said that Rishabh Pant should focus on Test cricket thus there is a great chance that Pant may not be picked in T20Is going forward.
As for the best XI, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal should open, followed by Abhishek Sharma at three. There should be no place for Ruturaj Gaikwad, unfortunately. Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh will form the middle order while Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Tushar Deshpande should be the bowling options along with Pandya.
India Likely Squad For Sri Lanka T20Is. Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar/Tushar Deshpande
India's Likely XI For Sri Lanka T20Is: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (C), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar/Tushar Deshpande
