Follow UsWhen India exited the field on Sunday (February 20), a beaming Suryakumar Yadav led the team with pride, before going on to receive both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series accolade.
But on Thursday, they will be without the 31-year-old Mumbaikar, a detrimental blow to the Men in Blue. Alongside that, the injury to Deepak Chahar also puts the spotlight on the others in the squad to grab the opportunities with both hands.
India, however, welcome Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson back into the setup. In Suryakumar’s absence, India are most likely to slot Samson back into the lineup, at No.4, with Deepak Hooda expected to be slotted at No.5.
Read: Eyes on looming Lankan challenge as India’s World Cup plans start to take shape
Injury doesn’t only haunt India, with Wanindu Hasaranga ruled out of the three-match T20I series for Sri Lanka due to COVID. Having been on the receiving end of a 4-1 throbbing at the hands of Australia, the Islanders would want to turn their fortune around in the series against India.
However, for that to happen, Sri Lanka would have to play their cards to perfection.
Sanju Samson with a rare opportunity
In Suryakumar’s absence, Sanju Samson, has the perfect chance to be in the favorable eyes of the selectors. At the pre-match press conference, the Indian skipper clearly pinpointed that Samson is indeed in consideration for the T20 World Cup Down Under.
"Sanju Samson has got talent - Whenever we have seen him bat he has produced an innings where people go over the moon. He has got the skill set to succeed - his backfoot game is brilliant - he is definitely in consideration,” said Rohit at the pre-match press conference.
Considering the next T20 World Cup will be played in Australia, Rohit Sharma feels that Sanju Samson could prove to be handy ✨
— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) February 23, 2022
🔗: https://t.co/UUS6Bj9AJj#INDvSL #Cricket @ImRo45 @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/WoLiIuHWVH
His previous appearance for India, incidentally against Sri Lanka, turned out to be a nightmare. In ten T20Is that he has played for India, he’s scored 117 runs, averaging just 11.70. Statistically, however, in the IPL (since 2020), Samson is the best No.3 batter, with 748 runs, striking at 149.6.
India would definitely be hoping to see that version of Samson in the series against Sri Lanka. On top of that, with conditions in Australia tailor-made for Samson, this series could very well be a blessing in disguise for the Men in Blue.
Can Sri Lanka perform without Wanindu Hasaranga?
Wanindu Hasaranga might just be 24-years-old but his impact on the Sri Lankan national team has been indelible. Since his debut, only Dushmantha Chameera has picked half of the wickets Hasaranaga (57 wickets) has in the shortest format. With the 24-year-old still not fit for the three-match series, recovering from the COVID-19 he suffered in Australia, what will Sri Lanka do?
There is no real replacement for the 24-year-old in the Sri Lankan squad. However, having said that, his injury now provides an opportunity to the likes of Jeffrey Vandersay and Ashian Daniel to leave a mark. Praveen Jayawickrama, who played an integral role in the home tour against India, where he picked up three wickets might stand a chance to stomp his mark.
India’s struggle against spin has been well-documented. Add to that their recent struggle against West Indian spinners, it provides the Island nation with a perfect opportunity to neutralize the Indian batting juggernaut.
Sri Lanka will need the best of Charith Asalanka
Since 2019, Charith Asalanka is Sri Lanka’s fourth highest run-scorer in the shortest format, all in just 14 appearances. Such has been the impact of the southpaw in the Islander’s setup, that his sparkling numbers are an indication of. But his last five T20Is, against Australia painted a different tale. Across the last five games, the left-hander could only score 64 runs, averaging a paltry 12.80, while striking at just 114.28.
His inability to score boundaries at will combined with his continuous failures in the Australian conditions all put Sri Lanka’s batting in a spot of bother. As pointed by Russel Arnold in the series preview, the visitors’ ‘batting’ must find the sweet balance between scoring boundaries and rotating the strike.
Against Australia, the Islanders played a whooping 39.6% dot-balls. Asalanka, in particular, was in control over only 62.5% of the deliveries that he faced, showing how his struggle was evident Down Under. If Sri Lanka are going to threaten India, they will need Asalanka to step up, considering how the likes of Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis have all played against Australia.
Predicted Playing XI and Team Combination
In Wanindu Hasaranga’s absence, it will be interesting to see who Sri Lanka will slot, as the rest of the batting order will fall right in place. It is yet to be seen if Binura Fernando, who performed exceedingly well in the Australia series would be fit to take the pitch on Thursday (February 24)
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishra, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay/Praveen Jayawickrama, Binura Fernando
For India, the duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar have already been ruled out with injuries. On top of that, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been rested for the three-match T20I series. With Rohit all but confirming that Samson might feature, it will be interesting to see who features in the playing XI
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj/Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal