India vs Sri Lanka T20I series review: Bright start to Gambhir-Suryakumar era

In Suryakumar Yadav, India seems to have found the right leader going into the next T20 World Cup cycle.

Slaying the Lions in style: A jubilant Indian team celebrates with the trophy after the 3-0 T20I series win against Sri Lanka.  | Photo Credit: AP

The cool climes of Kandy — sitting at an altitude of 1,400 feet above sea level, the Pallekele Stadium here is one of the highest international cricket venues in the world — combined with a hospitable Sri Lankan side provided the perfect backdrop for India’s 3-0 T20I series sweep. 

Even the usually hard-to-impress Gautam Gambhir was beaming at the presentation ceremony after the third T20I in his first outing as the national team coach. His men had the better of the home side throughout, winning the first two games with considerable ease to secure the series. 

The third match, though, was hardly straightforward, with India rallying from the precipice of defeat to clinch an incredible win, with its skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership skills coming to the fore. 

Chasing a middling 138 for a consolation win, Sri Lanka needed just nine runs in the last two overs when Suryakumar threw the ball to Rinku Singh, who had never bowled on the international stage before. Rinku conceded just three runs and took two wickets, including that of danger man Kusal Perera, who made 46 off 34. That left Sri Lanka needing six from six balls. 

With the ball turning a mile, Suryakumar, surprisingly, decided to bring himself on for the final over. Bowling for the first time in T20Is, he gave just five runs to force a Super Over, where India easily defeated Sri Lanka.

Suryakumar’s captaincy nous was on display throughout the series, albeit in subtler ways. In the first game, India was in a spot of bother as Pathum Nissanka led Sri Lanka in a record-breaking chase of 214. However, the calm Indian captain used Axar’s left-arm spin to dismiss right-hander Nissanka for a 48-ball 79, triggering a collapse that saw the host side lose nine wickets for 30 runs. 

Rewarding partnership: India’s T20 World Cup title defence at home in 2026, under new head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav, has started on a positive note. | Photo Credit: PTI

The 33-year-old Suryakumar was a composed figure on the field through his debut series as full-time captain, giving his bowlers the freedom to get the job done, as vouched by Axar and Ravi Bishnoi during the series. 

Excluding the final T20I, where the team experimented with its batting order and fielded a heavily rotated side, India’s victory was primarily based on an aggressive batting strategy. This strategy resembled the approach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from IPL 2024, the team that Gambhir was previously involved with before taking over as the Indian coach from Rahul Dravid.

Like KKR earlier this year, India attacked early with its openers and maintained an aggressive approach with the middle order, focusing on aggression rather than consolidation.

India’s eight-man batting order included four left-handed options, allowing it a left-right batting pair in the middle without much difficulty. This tactic made it challenging for the Sri Lankan bowlers as they had to constantly adjust their lines, resulting in erratic bowling and easier run-scoring opportunities.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill offered renewed vigour atop the batting order, while Suryakumar demonstrated his aggressive batting style, unaffected by the added responsibility of captaincy. Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya also made significant contributions with the bat when required.

The Indian bowlers were impressive, taking 27 out of the 30 Sri Lankan wickets. Spinners Axar and Bishnoi continued to prove their reliability, with Bishnoi’s three-wicket haul being crucial in India’s win in the second game.

Bishnoi’s sharp bowling has strengthened his position, and he may challenge the rested Kuldeep Yadav for the primary spinner role in the T20I setup.

Gambhir’s decision to bench all-rounder Washington Sundar for the first two games raised a few eyebrows initially given that many expected Sundar to replace the now-retired Ravindra Jadeja in the T20I unit. However, India chose Riyan Parag, a more reliable batting option, as the sixth bowler.

To his credit, 22-year-old Parag bowled with great heart, using a mix of off-breaks and leg spin to keep the Lankan batters guessing.

Toss-up between two: The third all-rounder’s spot in India’s T20I team is likely up for grabs, with Riyan Parag (in pic) and Washington as the contenders. | Photo Credit: PTI

Washington, though, made the best of the only opportunity that came his way. He put in a man-of-the-match winning performance in the third T20I, taking two wickets after playing an innings-salvaging cameo of 25 (18). 

A major blot in the Indian performance was Sanju Samson’s failure to make his chances count. The Kerala batter tallied consecutive ducks and had a disappointing day behind the stumps in the third T20I. 

Similarly, pacers Khaleel Ahmed and middle-order batter Shivam Duve too had forgettable outings in the third game. 

For Sri Lanka, the series defeat, coming after a shock group-stage exit in the T20 World Cup, means a further drop into the abyss. 

A weak middle-order, prone to consistent collapses, was the main cause of Sri Lanka’s downfall. In the three games, the Sri Lankan middle order (numbers four, five, six and seven) combined to score 61 runs for an abysmal average of 5.08. 

It also didn’t help that the home bowlers were consistently taken apart by the Indian batters, except in the third match, where a crumbling Pallekele surface came to their aid.

Nissanka’s excellence with the bat (137 runs in three matches) emerged as the lone bright spot for Sri Lanka. He received considerable support from fellow openers Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera. The Lankan top three aggregated 354 runs at a more-than-handy average of 39.33. But their efforts ultimately proved insufficient.

With a quick turnaround between the two white-ball legs, Sri Lanka will be hoping for a change in luck in the ODIs, especially with the bat.

For India, the transition following the retirement of T20I stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jadeja couldn’t have been any smoother.

In Suryakumar, the side seems to have found the right leader going into the next T20 World Cup cycle. Most of the slots in the lineup are filled, with only the third all-rounder spot likely up for grabs, with Parag and Washington as the contenders.