3 changes India should make for 3rd T20I vs Sri Lanka ft. Shubman Gill
India and Sri Lanka are set to clash in the final game of a three-match T20I series on Tuesday, July 30, at the Pallekele International Stadium in Pallekele. With two comfortable wins under their belt, the Men in Blue will be hoping for a clean sweep as they usher in a new era led by coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
India won the first match by 43 runs and continued the momentum in the second game. After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka was on course to score a big total, as they were 130/2 after 15 wickets.
However, the Indian bowlers recovered well, taking seven wickets in the final five overs, while the hosts could only muster 31 runs. Sri Lanka finished at 161/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Rain interrupted the game just three balls into the Indian innings. The revised target for Men in Blue was 78 runs in eight covers. On the first ball of the second over, Maheesh Theekshana dismissed Sanju Samson for a duck.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (30 off 15 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (26 off 12 balls) played brilliant innings as India steered towards an easy win. Later, Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten on 22 off nine balls as the Men in Blue won the match by seven wickets with nine balls remaining.
As India prepare to face Sri Lanka in the third T20I, we will look at three changes that the Men in Blue could make in the dead rubber game.
#1 Shubman Gill for Sanju Samson
Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill missed the second game of the series after waking up with a neck spasm, which Suryakumar Yadav also confirmed at the toss.
Gill is expected to be back on the team for the final game. The star batter played a decent innings of 34 off 16 balls in the first T20I.
The right-handed batter will likely replace Sanju Samson. The Kerala cricketer was benched in the first game but replaced Gill in the next outing. However, Samson couldn't utilize this opportunity as he went without scoring. He is now expected to be on the bench for the last match of the series.
#2 Washington Sundar for Axar Patel
Axar Patel might be given a rest for the final game of the series. In two matches, the T20 World Cup-winning player has performed well, picking up four wickets.
The Indian camp may decide to rest the all-rounder for the third T20I, given how crucial he will be in the three-match ODI series that begins on August 2.
Axar will be replaced by Washington Sundar, who had an outstanding Zimbabwe series. Sundar won the Player of the Series award after taking eight wickets. If given a chance, the Tamil Nadu player will aim to keep up his good form.
#3 Khaleel Ahmed for Arshdeep Singh
Khaleel Ahmed replacing Arshdeep Singh is another possible like-for-like swap. Arshdeep was the most successful bowler in the 2024 T20 World Cup, remaining the leading wicket-taker along with Fazalhaq Farooqi.
The left-arm pacer has continued his good form, picking up four wickets, and can be given a rest ahead of the ODI series.
Arshdeep will be replaced by Khaleel, who was last seen in the Zimbabwe series, where he took three wickets in three matches. The left-arm pacer, who has taken 16 wickets in 17 T20I matches for India, will be hoping to make an impression in the third T20I.