Sanju Samson to retain his place? Suryakumar Yadav reveals whether India will test bench strength vs Sri Lanka in 3rd T20I

On Sunday, July 28, the Suryakumar Yadav-led India National Cricket Team locked horns with the Charith Asalanka-led Sri Lanka National Cricket Team in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele.

Suryakumar Yadav, along with Gautam Gambhir, started the new era with a win in the first game and entered the second match high on confidence. It was an all-round performance in the first match that helped the visitors seal a comprehensive victory against the hosts.

Suryakumar Yadav lost his first toss as the full-time captain of the Indian T20I team but that had no impact on the performance of his team. The opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal (40) and Shubman Gill (34) provided an explosive start to the Indian team and laid a platform for the monstrous total. Both the batters were at their aggressive best and weren't playing for milestones.

After the openers' dismissal, it was time for captain Suryakumar Yadav to display his batting prowess, and he didn't disappoint at all. India's Mr. 360 played without any added pressure of captaincy and smoked the bowlers all around the park. Suryakumar finished his innings with 58 runs. Also, Rishabh Pant chipped in with 49 as India ended up with 213/7 on the board.

When it came to the bowling, nothing worked for the Men In Blue in the powerplay overs, as the Lankan openers played an attacking brand of cricket. Arshdeep Singh was the one who got the opening breakthrough and that opened the floodgates. Sri Lanka were 140/1 at one stage and they got bowled out for 170. Riyan Parag picked 3 wickets while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel got 2 wickets each. Also, Mohammed Siraj and Ravi Bishnoi were among the wickets as India won by 43 runs.

This is the template we want to go ahead with - Suryakumar Yadav

Coming back to the second India vs Sri Lanka T20I, India National Cricket Team won the toss and chose to bowl first in the match, considering the weather around. India bowled exceptionally well and restricted the Lankan Lions to 161/9. When they came to bat, the rain interrupted the play, and the target was revised to 78 runs in 8 overs. The Indian batters made the run-chase look like a walk in the park and sealed the match by 7 wickets with 9 balls remaining.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav stated that they want to continue the same aggressive batting template going forward. He added that the rain helped them in the second T20I and was delighted with the way his batters played. Suryakumar Yadav said:

"We spoke about this before this tournament - what brand of cricket we want to play. Even if it's a shorter target or whatever target we are chasing, this is the template that we would like to go ahead with. With the weather around, anything below 160 would have been nice. The games which we have seen here before have always been tricky. Rain helped us. The way the boys batted, it was wonderful."

When asked about India potentially making wholesale changes to the playing XI in the third T20I with the series clinched already, Suryakumar Yadav responded that they haven't made any decision. Notably, the biggest question will be whether Sanju Samson will retain his place after bagging a golden duck in the second T20I. Suryakumar Yadav said:

"We'll sit and decide what we want to do going forward (when asked if they'll test their bench strength). Very happy for the boys the way they showed their skill and talent and lot of character in tough situations."