It is rare for an Indian cricket series to be obscured from the nation’s eye by another sporting event.
But, such is the glow of the Olympics, that most Indian sporting fans would have their ears tuned to Paris, forcing India’s white-ball expedition to Sri Lanka down the pecking order.
The tour, which begins with the first of the three T20Is in Pallekelle on Saturday, though has something significant to offer. It will provide a first look at an Indian side under a new leadership yoke – Gautam Gambhir as coach and Suryakumar Yadav as captain.
Gambhir, whose coaching experience is restricted to mentorship roles in IPL, will seek to identify a core group and build towards defending the T20 World Cup in 2026.
For Suryakumar, the task will be to fill in the leadership vacuum left behind by the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from T2OIs after the World Cup win in West Indies.
A share of the spotlight will also fall on star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was overlooked as captain despite being Rohit’s deputy in the World Cup triumph.
Hardik also lost out on the vice-captaincy role to Shubman Gill, who the team is eyeing as the next multi-format batting mainstay.
Gill, who captained a heavily rotated Indian side to a 4-1 win in Zimbabwe after the World Cup, looks set to continue at the top of the order along with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Another aspect to watch out in the series will be Gambhir’s choice of wicketkeeper. The Indian coach in the past has vouched for backing Sanju Samson for a sustained period, while for the recent T20 World Cup, he opined Rishabh Pant to be a better fit for the batting order.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and Sri Lanka’s captain Charith Asalanka unveil the T20I cricket series trophy. | Photo Credit: PTI
The absence of strike pair Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, who were rested, will offer the rest of the Indian bowling attack a chance to stake claim for an assured spot in the side.
Much like India, Sri Lanka too comes into the series with a new coach and captain. But the circumstances couldn’t be any dissimilar. A calamitous T20 World Cup campaign in West Indies saw the island nation exit in the group stage, with Wanindu Hasaranga paying the price for it with his captaincy mantle.
Middle-order batter Charith Asalanka has taken over as captain, with legendary opener Sanath Jayasuriya coming in as the interim coach, replacing Chris Silverwood.
Much of Sri Lanka’s hopes will rely on its well-rounded bowling attack which covers most of the bases in the T20 format.
But, the Lankan bowlers will have their task cut out in one of the most high-scoring venues in the country. Among venues to have hosted at least 10 T20s in Sri Lanka, Pallekele has the second-highest run rate (8.23), only behind Dambulla (9.28).
Both teams will also have to factor in the short turn-around time within the series – three games in four days – as they look to balance out the desire to experiment with the need for continuity.
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