Follow UsIt is the start of a new challenge for India – with Sri Lanka - arriving to put an end to Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten run as a skipper in the shortest format. However, the visitors are with their own share of worries, having narrowly avoided a whitewash at the hands of Australia Down Under.
Now with the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, through COVID, the Islanders will have to find unlikely heroes to gain the upper hand against India. India, have their own share of injuries, absentees for the upcoming three-match series, which only set ups a cracking series between the two Asian giants.
Ground Details
The last T20I at the venue goes a long way back, in 2019, between the hosts Afghanistan and West Indies in what was a thrilling T20I series. India’s first and only encounter at the venue was in 2018, against West Indies, where they won convincingly by 71-runs, on the back of a scintillating century from Rohit Sharma.
At the venue, the average batting score has been 157 but for a winning side, the average score has been 173, a number that would definitely play at the back of the mind of the two sides on Thursday. Surprisingly batting first has led to nine wins for the sides, out of the 14 games at the venue. With India having shown their prowess batting first, they wouldn’t be too displeased with the statistic.
42 out of the 53 wickets at the venue have been picked by pacers. Spinners, on the other hand, only have picked up 11 wickets, which makes this venue extremely friendly for pacers.
Team Suggestion
Captain Selection
With no Wanindu Hasaranaga or Suryakumar Yadav, the natural selection for the captain is Rohit Sharma. While his form might not have been the best in the series against West Indies but his numbers at the venue are exceedingly good. As aforementioned, Rohit scored an unbeaten 111 in India’s previous encounter at the venue.
Rohit would be aiming to turn his fortune around, after his failure in the last two games of the Windies series against Sri Lanka, a side who has been on the receiving end of a Rohit masterclass.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Rohit to score 20-30 runs in the first T20I
X-factors
If Suryakumar Yadav was named as the Player of the Series against West Indies, Venkatesh Iyer’s influence on the Indian side was equally effective. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder played an integral role in India’s win, both with the bat and the ball. Against Sri Lanka, he will be expected to play a bigger role, considering the dearth of choices in the Indian squad with similar skillset. Across his last three T20Is, the southpaw has scored 24*, 33 and 35*.
Ravindra Jadeja returns to the Indian setup, for the first time since the thrilling draw against New Zealand in Kanpur. Across his last three T20Is, the left-arm spinner has picked up seven wickets, including figures of 3/16 and 3/15. While the conditions might not be spin-friendly, Jadeja’s impact with the bat too can come to the fore on Thursday. With 26 and 13 runs off the bat in his last two innings, the left-hander might play a crucial role for India in the series, starting from the first T20I.
There’s Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka and Dasun Shanaka in the Sri Lankan setup but the impact Kusal Mendis has is incomparable. While he might have scored just four runs on his return to the Sri Lankan setup, in the third T20I, his performance since then has been crucial for the Islanders. His unbeaten 69 was one of the biggest reasons behind Sri Lanka avoiding the series whitewash against Australia.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Mendis to score 34-52 runs in the first T20I
Probable XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
West Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Sheldon Cottrell