India vs SL 1st T20 @ Pallekele on 27th July 7pm IST

India tour of Sri Lanka 2024

When: 1st T20I, Saturday, July 27, 2024, 7:00 PM Local Time

Where: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

What to expect: The weather is expected to be pleasant but sultry. Once a venue of high scores - and also one of the highest ever in T20Is - Pallakele hasn't hosted too many T20Is in recent years. However, it would be a surprise if the Saturday night contest wasn't another high-scoring encounter.

The Men in Blue are all set to begin a new era in white-ball cricket as the side will be locking horns against Sri Lanka for the first game of the three matches of the T20 series slated to take place on July 27 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Notably, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from the format, while Suryakumar Yadav will be the new captain for India in a T20I series.

The forthcoming series also marks the beginning of the coaching era of Gautam Gambhir, who has taken over from legendary Rahul Dravid. The Men in Blue are the number one T20I team in the world, while Sri Lanka places itself in the eighth spot. Charith Asalanka will be leading a strong Sri Lankan unit that might threaten India in their own backyard.

The series opening game should be a cracking game, as there is a plethora of excitement regarding Gautam Gambhir's debut as Indian head coach while Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian side. Meanwhile, India has recently defeated Zimbabwe 4-1 under Shubman Gill's captaincy, whereas the Lankan Lions have not been in action since their exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 group stage.

Interestingly, all eyes will be on Hardik Pandya, who returns to action after being snubbed for the T20I captaincy.

Big picture: New beginnings

It will be the start of a new T20I era for both India and Sri Lanka when they come face-to-face in Pallekele on Saturday. For India, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from the format and Suryakumar Yadav has been named the new captain. Sri Lanka have moved on from Angelo Mathews, while Charith Asalanka has replaced Wanindu Hasaranga at the helm. Both teams have a new head coach as well. India have got Gautam Gambhir and Sri Lanka Sanath Jayasuriya, the latter in an interim capacity, though.

While it is a new beginning for both teams, their starting points could not have been more different. India recently ended their long-awaited ICC trophy drought by winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, a tournament where Sri Lanka were knocked out in the first round.

After that, India sent a second-string side to Zimbabwe where they won the five-match T20I series 4-1. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan players were busy with the Lanka Premier League where Asalanka led Jaffna Kings to the title.

Both Asalanka and Suryakumar have previously led their national sides. Asalanka in two T20Is against Bangladesh earlier this year and Suryakumar in seven T20Is in late 2023 against Australia and South Africa.

India are still not at full strength for this series, though. Jasprit Bumrah, arguably the best bowler in the world right now, has been rested. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have been dealt a few blows even before the start of the series. First, they lost Dushmantha Chameera (bronchitis), then Nuwan Thushara (broken finger), and now Binura Fernando, who has been hospitalised with a chest infection. There is a flu going around their camp, forcing them to call up allrounder Ramesh Mendis as a standby.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLLWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India WWWWL

In the spotlight: Matheesha Pathirana and Shubman Gill

Playing for Colombo Strikers, Matheesha Pathirana was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the LPL with 15 scalps in nine matches. What stood out even more was his death bowling. In that phase, his economy of 7.02 was easily the best among those who bowled at least five overs at death. Throughout the tournament, Pathirana never bowled more than one over in the first half of the innings, a template likely to be followed by Sri Lanka as well. And having played in the IPL since 2022, Pathirana has plenty of experience of bowling to India batters.

Shubman Gill has admitted that his performance in T20Is leading up to the T20 World Cup was not up to expectations. From August 2023 until the World Cup, he scored 133 runs in eight T20Is, at an average of 16.62 and a strike rate of 126.66. While he did much better in the IPL - 426 runs at an average of 38.72 and a strike rate of 147.40 - once India made their mind to open with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the World Cup, there was no room for Gill in the squad. But the selectors have shown their faith by naming him the vice-captain for both ODIs and T20Is. It is up to Gill now to repay it.

Team news: India to play three spinners?

Kusal Perera had an excellent LPL as an opener. But with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis being the first choice for that role, Perera will have to fight it out with Avishka Fernando for a No. 3 role.

Sri Lanka 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando/Kusal Perera, 4 Kamindu Mendis, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Asitha Fernando, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Matheesha Pathirana

Given the conditions, India are likely to pick Ravi Bishnoi as a third spinner over Khaleel Ahmed. Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag will compete for one middle-order spot.

India 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Ravi Bishnoi/Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and conditions: Spin over seam

In the LPL, the average first-innings total in Pallekele across five matches was 185. During those games, spinners fared much better, registering an economy of 7.64, as compared to fast bowlers, who went for 10.58 runs per over.

There is a forecast for rain during the daytime but not in the evening. So the match should be largely unaffected.

Stats and trivia: India's dominance

Sri Lanka have beaten India only once in a bilateral T20I series, when they won 2-1 at home in 2021.

India have won 15 out of 16 T20Is they have played this year. Their only defeat came against Zimbabwe earlier this month.

Suryakumar (133) is currently fifth on the list of most sixes in T20Is. Five more sixes and he will be third.

Did you know?

All the eight batters picked in the Indian squad boast of a strike rate above 140 in T20s in 2024

In T20Is, since January 2023, Arshdeep Singh and Maheesh Theekshana have conceded less than 7 runs and over in Powerplays

Wanindu Hasaranga has dismissed Sanju Samson thrice in 11 balls and conceded only two runs

What they said:

"Nothing changes. The brand of cricket remains the same. What I've been playing, what I've been doing for the team, it doesn't change. It has given me an added responsibility. Now I've to walk the talk" - Suryakumar Yadav, on whether captaincy will affect his batting approach.

The excitement over the news of Chamari Athapaththu and her team's recent success pouring in from Dambulla notwithstanding, there is a general sense of irritation in Kandy when conversations move to cricket. There is disappointment over the prolonged underwhelming performances of the men's team, evidenced as recently as the T20 World Cup in June. Even before the wounds of that campaign could fully heal, the town is getting ready to host the world champions.

For all practical purposes, given that India and Sri Lanka don't have to go through the qualification route by virtue of being co-hosts of the next edition of the T20 World Cup, this series should serve as nothing but the start of a long trial for the mega tournament. With two ICC tournaments in two different formats scheduled before the next T20 World Cup, it's likely that the focus could marginally shift from the shortest format for a brief while. But with new captains, with different set of challenges, appointed to steer the ship of their countries' T20 cricket in the near future, neither would be too keen on a compromised start to their captaincy.

Too many players have captained India and Sri Lanka in T20Is in recent years - but for contrasting reasons. One to change the fortunes of the team, and the other to ensure that the fortunes of the team don't change in the stop-gap period.

Pride wounded or not with recent events, to take Sri Lankan forward, Charith Asalanka has been handed the reins. A season of Lanka Premier League done, a couple of senior players dropped, a couple of senior players recalled, and the captain feels they are ready for the challenge with their Asian neighbours.

While Sri Lanka would be seeking a revival, sharing the centre stage with him on Friday, in a lighter shade of blue, was Suryakumar Yadav - another newly-appointed national captain - talking about continuing the good work of his predecessor.

He has taken over a team brimming with confidence but with different challenges. It probably isn't as much about finding replacements for the recently retired trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, as it is about sustaining the same standard of success with the new leadership group.

The Indian captain painted a picture of calm a day ahead of the game, stating that only the engine has changed, the bogeys are still the same, and that the team just needs to continue on the same track. The railway reference maybe quite catchy, but easier said than done. Both Suryakumar and head coach Gautam Gambhir are fairly inexperienced in their respective roles, and also bring in different personality traits to their leadership. An instant success may not be needed for the Indian T20 team, but much like Asalanka, eyes would be trained on their early performance.

Frequently Asked Questions about the 1st T20I Match of India's Tour of Sri Lanka 2024

When and where is the 1st T20I match of India's tour of Sri Lanka 2024?

Answer: The 1st T20I match is scheduled for Saturday, July 27, 2024, at 7:00 PM local time. The match will take place at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele.

How can I watch the 1st T20I match between India and Sri Lanka?
You can watch the match on the following platforms:

• India: Sony Sports TEN (TV) matches will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 1 HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 and Sony Sports Ten 5 HD TV channels in India. (7:00pm IST). Regional live broadcasts will be on Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 3 HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil and Telugu) and the Sony Sports Ten 4 HD (Tamil and Telugu) TV channels in India.
• UK: Sky Sports Cricket
• US: Willow TV
• Australia: Fox Sports (TV) and Kayo Sports (streaming).

What are the match timings for the first T20I in different regions?

The match timings are:

• India: 7:00 PM IST
• UK: 2:30 PM GMT
• US (Eastern Time): 9:30 AM EST
• Australia (Eastern Time): 11:30 PM AEST.

What are the squads for the 1st T20I match between India and Sri Lanka?

The squads for the match are:

• India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel.
• Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (C), Kusal Mendis (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Kusal Perera, Asitha Fernando.

What can we expect from the match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium?

The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is known for its high-scoring matches and has previously hosted one of the highest-ever scores in T20Is. Despite not hosting many T20I matches in recent years, the conditions are expected to be pleasant but sultry, providing ideal settings for an exciting, high-scoring contest on Saturday night.

Teams Watch:

India

Player availability: India have rested Jasprit Bumrah and dropped Yuzvendra Chahal from those who were a part of the World Cup-winning squad. Both weren't a part of the second-string side that toured Zimbabwe recently either.

Tactics & Matchups: Washington Sundar could be brought on against Kusal Perera. The offie has had an advantage over the hard-hitting southpaw, having dismissed him thrice in 30 balls, and conceding at less than run-a-ball.

Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh/Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka

Player availability: Dushmanta Chameera and Nuwan Thushara were ruled out of the series, with Sri Lanka bringing in Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madhushanka in their place. Binura Fernando was hospitalised on the eve of the game due to a chest infection and Ramesh Mendis was brought into the squad as a standby player. The hosts also recalled the veteran duo of Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera at the back of their solid performances in the recently-concluded Lanka Premier League.

Tactics & Matchups: Dasun Shanka could come in handy against Hardik Pandya. The medium pacer has dimsssed the hard-hitting Indian batter thrice in 14 balls in T20Is, conceding only 13 runs against him.

Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando