Sri Lanka vs India Prediction: India's new team will be on display

Sri Lanka and India are going head to head in the Match 1 of the T20 Series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, Sri Lanka on 27th July 2024. India's next generation of T20 stars will be on display in this series. Who will win this game of cricket?

Sri Lanka form

Sri Lanka had a terrible run in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, becoming one of the first teams to exit the tournament without making it to the Super 12 stage. The bright side is that this gives them the opportunity to regroup and build up to the next T20 World Cup. Now leading the T20I team, Charith Asalanka will be required to deliver with the bat.

Key batters would include Kusal Mendis, who, in his last 10 matches, has 338 runs at an average of 33.8 with a strike rate of 140; and Pathum Nissanka, who, in his last 7 matches, had accumulated 180 runs at an average of 36 with a strike rate of 170. Mendis has a fine record against India in T20Is, with 3 fifties in 6 innings at a strike rate of 149.

Dinesh Chandimal comes into the series in good form, having scored 287 runs at a strike rate of 168.82 in the LPL. So he would, therefore, play a key role for the team in the upcoming matches with his tremendous experience.

Much will depend upon Wanindu Hasaranga, who, with his economy rate of 6.38, has picked up 16 wickets in his last eight games, while Matheesha Pathirana, due to the accuracy and movement-generating ability he possesses, will lead the hosts' charge with the ball.

With Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera out due to health, so much of the bowling ammunition has been taken away from Sri Lanka, increasing the responsibility on Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana to deliver against India in the T20I series.

Sri Lanka Predicted Lineup

Charith Asalanka, Patthum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal/Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilshan Madushanka/ Asitha Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheehsa Pathirana

India form

Many of the key players who won the World T20 for India are not a part of this T20I series. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from T20Is; Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. India's opening pair will be Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal—both of them doing well in the recent series against Zimbabwe, especially Jaiswal. Jaiswal, if he clicks, could pose a severe threat to the opposition.

Suryakumar Yadav is likely to come up the order at number three and is being called one of the best T20I batters in the world currently. He averages 63 against Sri Lanka, along with a few match-winning contributions that made him a tough proposition for opponents. The other all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, will also be another player who will be keen to carry on his World Cup success.

In the absence of Bumrah, India's pace attack will be led by Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. While Siraj did wonders against Sri Lanka in ODIs, on the other hand, the leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been in the limelight for his exploits of taking wickets during the middle overs with his googlies that might turn out to be a game-changer for this series.

Predicted Lineup of India

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ꮪhubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

Sri Lanka vs India Expert Prediction

India will enter this game as the favorites, even without some of their star players. Their batting is strong with several players who can dominate the opposition. Although India's bowling attack looks a bit weaker on paper with no Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav in the lineup, Sri Lanka might get an opening if their spinners do a good job of holding these Indian batters down to a low score. On the other hand, Nuwan Thushara is out, and that is a big blow to the home team's bowling artillery. All in all, India has a much more comprehensive lineup, with better batting, which would see them through quite easily if they play well. India will be the clear favourites going into this first T20I against Sri Lanka.