Young India, Sri Lanka sides brace for T20I series with one eye on World Cup

Overview

Sri Lanka vs India, first T20I
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
25 July, 20:00 Local

Despite a defeat in the final ODI against Sri Lanka, India’s confidence to out-perform Sri Lanka in the T20Is would not have been dented after the visitors fought back from a difficult position to ensure Sri Lanka had to fight for their three-wicket victory.

For Sri Lanka, Avishka Fernando and Charith Asalanka found form with the bat while the bowlers put up an improved display consistently in the final two ODIs. The spinners, Wanindu Hasaranga and Akila Dananjaya in particular, made the Indian batters struggle in Colombo, and they'll be looking to take that form into the shortest format.

Remember the last time

The last time these sides locked horns in the shortest format was in January 2020, when Sri Lanka toured India. The hosts dominated the Lankans in all facets of the game at the time. India posted a daunting 201, thanks to fifties from the openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.

The Indian bowling line-up then bundled out Sri Lanka for 123 in the 16th over, with only Dhananjaya de Silva mustering any resistance with his 36-ball 57. Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar returned two wickets apiece while Navdeep Saini snared three.

What they said

Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka captain):“The bowlers showed maturity, that's what I expect from the youngsters. I hope they will continue this in future tours as well. When you play international cricket for long, the guys will improve and play consistently.”

Suryakumar Yadav (Indian player):“Prithvi Shaw is a show-stopper. He is batting brilliantly and he is working hard on his fitness. It is really good to see him doing so well. We are really looking forward to seeing him in the T20s.”