Sri Lanka Playing 11 vs India- 1st T20I, India tour of Sri Lanka 2024

Sri Lanka takes on India in a T20 series in Pallekele. The first t20I starts at 7 pm IST. All three matches will be played in Pallekele.

The Lankans are currently placed eighth on the ICC T20I rankings. They endured a tough World Cup facing a league-stage exit. Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down as the T20I skipper of the side. Charith Asalanka will lead the side in this series.

Sri Lanka have injury problems heading into the first T20I. Nuwan Thusara injured his left thumb at practice on Wednesday and was ruled out of the series. Dusmantha Chameera has also been ruled out due to health issues. He is yet to recover from a respiratory infection.

Asitha Fernando replaced Chameera while Dilshan Madushanka replaced Thusara in the squad. Angelo Mathews and Dhanajaya de Silva have been left out while Chandimal and Kusal Perera have been recalled.

The batting revolves around Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanak, and Kusal Perera. The bowling looks the more balanced with Hasaranga, Theekshana, and Dunith Wellalage being the spin trio.

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Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka. Binura Fernando and Asitha Fernando make up the bowling attack. Many of the players picked in the squad are fresh from the Lankan Premier League 2024 season having performed decently well.

This will be Sri Lanka's first T20I series after being knocked out in the first round of the World Cup held in the USA and West Indies. We predict their XI for the first T20I against India.

Sri Lanka Playing 11 vs India- 1st T20I, India tour of Sri Lanka 2024

Pathum Nissanka

Nissanka will open the batting for Sri Lanka. He is an all-format batter for Sri Lanka and a stable opener for the side. He scored 333 runs in LPL 2024

Kusal Perera

Kusal Perera will open the batting with Nissanka. He was recalled into the side along with Dinesh Chandimal as the Lankans wanted experience in the batting order. Perera played his last T20I in February earlier this year.

Kusal Mendis (WK)

Mendis will slot in at three. He is the ODI skipper and someone who can anchor the innings batting at three. He has good technique and needs to bat well in the series. He scored 329 runs in LPL 2024.

Charith Asalanka (C)

Asalanka will lead Sri Lanka in this series. He took over from Wanindu Hasaraga after Sri Lanka's bad T20 World Cup campaign. He recently led Jaffna Kings to their fourth LPL title. It will be interesting to see how he adjusted to national team captaincy.

Dinesh Chandimal

Chandimal will slot in at five. He along with Kusal Perera was recalled into the sie. He is making a comeback to the T20I side after two years. Incidentally, he played his last T20I against India in 2022. He scored 287 runs in LPL 2024.

Dasun Shanaka

Shanaka will slot in at six. He has a good record against India in T20Is scoring 430 runs with the bat and taking more than 10 wickets. He led Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2022 and the ODI World Cup 2023. He picked up 13 wickets in LPL 2024 as well.

Wanindu Hasaranga

Hasaranga will slot in at seven. He is a worthy all-rounder and Sri Lanka's premier white-ball spinner. He picked 15 wickets in LPL 2024 in 10 matches. He has 110 T20I wickets.

Dunith Wellalage

Wellanage will slot in at eight. He is a decent all-rounder who can strike the ball big and a decent left-arm spinner. He is expected to test the young Indian batters. He took nine wickets in LPL 2024.

Matheesha Pathirana

Pathirana will lead the Lankan bowling attack. He is a specialist death bowler who has honed his skills playing for CSK in the IPL. He ended as the second-highest wicket-taker in LPL 2024 with 15 scalps.

Dilshan Madushanka

The left-arm pacer replaced Nuwan Thusara in the side. He is a new ball bowler who gets the ball to swing both ways and moves the ball in the air as well.

Maheesh Theekshana

Theekshana concludes the likely playing XI for Sri Lanka. He too played in the recent LPL season picking up 10 wickets from 10 games. The first T20I will be his 50th T20I for Sri Lanka. he is five shy from 50 T20I wickets as well.

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