IND vs SL, 1st T20I: Visitors Bowl First, KL Rahul Returns

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first in the first of three-match series at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

The visitors have made four changes to the playing eleven that lost the third ODI in Visakhapatnam while the hosts have brought in KL Rahul and Jaydev Unadkat.

Here is what the captains said:

Thisara Perera:

“We will like to bowl first. The dew factor works for every team. Actually, our team did not click well in the second ODI. We would like to perform well today. We have to play our own game and do well. From last ODI, four changes.”

Rohit Sharma:

“We would have bowled first. Looks like a good track. The dew is a concern. For the first innings or second innings, dew will be a factor. Dew cannot be an excuse. The first games that we have played against Lanka in Tests and ODIs we did not have a good start. But looking forward to a good show today. Rahul and Unadkat come in for Dhawan, who has been rested and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.”

Preview:

Following the come from behind win in the One-Day Internationals, Team India will be oozing with confidence and will be looking to make the most of the momentum. However, with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli rested, the Rohit Sharma-led team should guard against complacency. Moreover, Sri Lanka has defeated South Africa and Australia in their backyards this year and are capable enough to replicate those heroics against the Men in Blue too.

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On the other hand, the visitors would be quick to forget their performance in the last two ODIs and seek a fresh start in the T20Is. The win in Australia and South Africa should make them feel confident against the high-flying hosts.

Here are the playing elevens of both teams:

Sri Lanka:

Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera(c), Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya, Vishwa Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep

India:

Rohit Sharma(c), Lokesh Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni(w), Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

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