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IND vs SL | 1st T20I: Riding high on confidence, India look to continue dominance on home soil

Riding high on confidence, India will now be up against Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series scheduled to begin on Thursday (February 24, 2022) in Lucknow. But ahead of the series, the hosts have suffered a setback as Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav have been ruled out of the fixtures after sustaining respective injuries.

But the good news for the home side is that Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have returned to the squad. 

The side that would be led by Rohit Sharma will also be without the services of former skipper Virat Kohli and wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant as the duo has been rested for the T20Is. India will be coming into this series on the back of a terrific performance against West Indies in the limited-overs fixtures. 

Sri Lanka, on the other side, are coming into this series after suffering a 1-4 defeat against Australia in a five-match T20I series. 

Match Details

India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I

Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

Date & Time: February 24th, at 7:00 PM IST and Local Time

Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar

Pitch Report

The track is expected to have something on offer for the pacers while the batters can also get some assistance. A good scoring game is on the cards. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat. 

Team News

India: India suffered a blow ahead of the series after Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav were ruled out due to injuries. “Deepak sustained a right quadriceps injury during bowling while Suryakumar suffered a hairline fracture during a fielding attempt in the third and final T20I against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday. They will now head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of their injuries,” the BCCI said in a statement. 

Sri Lanka: The visitors also had a setback after all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was tested positive for Covid-19 again. 

"Wanindu Hasaranga, who was in isolation after contracting COVID-19, has once again returned a positive result when a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) was conducted on the player yesterday (February 22). A PCR test too confirmed the result," SLC said in an official statement.

"He was first found to be positive during a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on February 15, 2022. The player was transferred to Melbourne from Canberra and will remain in isolation until he returns a negative PCR Test Report," it added.

Probable XI

India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Bhuveshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dusmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Kumara

Fantasy XI

Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Ravindra Jadeja (C), Dasun Shanaka (VC), Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Maheesh Theekshana 

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