India are yet to be beaten in T20Is in the new full-time captaincy era under Rohit Sharma. The hosts after wrapping a 3-0 win over West Indies in Kolkata will be aiming to continue the winning juggernaut against Sri Lanka in the first T20I at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Thursday (February 24).
The series against Sri Lanka offers chance to players like Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Avesh Khan to present their skillsets ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later in the year. Though Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur are unavailable, India will be hoping that the return of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja will boost the experience in the hosts’ camp.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel sizzled against the West Indies, so as young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Venkatesh Iyer will be looking to continue his fine work of finishing matches at number six and giving some overs of part-time pace.
With Mission 2022 set as the , every win counts!
Will #TeamIndia keep their run going by winning the Paytm T20I Trophy #INDvSL?#BelieveInBlue | 1st T20I | Feb 24, Broadcast starts: 6 PM, Match starts: 7 PM | Star Sports 1/1HD/1 Hindi/1HD Hindi/Disney+Hotstar pic.twitter.com/JlAnpFf8HD
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In terms of the batting, there have been different players who have stepped up to the challenge of bailing the team out of tough situations. But there’s a soft underbelly of the Indian batting which Sri Lanka will be looking to exploit: batting against the spinners. Against the West Indies, off-spin all-rounder Roston Chase was able to take out the Indian batters and stem the run-flow.
But the main point of concern is that Sri Lanka are without Wanindu Hasaranga as the leg-spin all-rounder hasn’t recovered yet from Covid-19 infection caught when the visitors` were in Australia for a five-match T20I series. Mystery off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana is also a doubtful starter due to a hamstring niggle.
When and at what time will the 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka start?
The 1st T20 between India vs Sri Lanka begins on February 24 at 7 PM IST.
Where will the 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka take place?
The 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka will be held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Which channel will telecast the 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka in India?
The 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka will be available on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, and Star Sports Hindi.
How to watch the live streaming of the 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka in India?
The 1st T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka will stream live on the Disney+Hotsar app and website.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah vice-captain) and Avesh Khan.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kamil Mishara, Janith Liyanage, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama