3 things India need to do right to beat Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I
Suryakumar Yadav will captain, and Gautam Gambhir will coach. The newly appointed duo are all set to work together for the first time when India face Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series.
The opening game of the rubber will be held in Pallekele on Saturday, July 27. Suryakumar has captained India before, but he now seems to be the first-choice skipper ahead of the likes of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. He will want to get his side off to a good start.
From a tactical perspective, what do Suryakumar and Gambhir need to be wary of? India did most things right during the T20 World Cup, and the new management needs to ensure that those standards don't drop.
T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat Sri Lanka in the first T20I.
#3 India might need to make bold calls and drop two of their T20 World Cup stars
This might be a controversial suggestion, but do Rishabh Pant and Shivam Dube belong in India's best T20I XI? The former looked out of place at No. 3 during the T20 World Cup, while Dube struggled to come to terms with a role slightly lower down the order.
With quality options like Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Riyan Parag in the mix, India have no real reason to persist with Pant and Dube. Of course, Pant is a player of immense potential who will be one of the key cogs in the side over the next decade, but he hasn't quite hit his peak in the shortest format yet. Dube, meanwhile, is a fairly limited player in both departments.
India might need to play Samson at No. 3 and Rinku lower down the order, limiting the current shortcomings of Pant and Dube.
#2 The Men in Blue need to persist with their batting depth approach
India have a few selection dilemmas ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Rinku, Dube and Parag are likely vying for one middle-order spot, unless the Men in Blue are willing to drop Washington Sundar, who was the Player of the Series against Zimbabwe and offers a third spin option alongside Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi.
Going forward, India will need to continue prioritizing batting depth, which not only provides assurance in the event of a collapse but also allows the top-order batters the freedom to bat aggressively. Sundar and Axar playing in tandem seems the best bet, since India would then have six solid bowling options without greatly sacrificing depth.
Gambhir will know this well, having implemented the same strategy with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
#1 India will need to take a look at Pallekele's characteristics during the LPL
Pallekele proved to be a decent batting wicket during the recently concluded edition of the Lanka Premier League, with saw Charith Asalanka's Jaffna Kings come out on top in the final. And like most other venues in the island nation, the spinners found more purchase.
This will be a challenge for India during the first T20I. Not only will they be playing away from home, but they will also be up against a set of players who know the recent conditions inside out.
Assessing the pitch and picking a team accordingly will be one of India's keys to victory. That's always true, of course, but the mountain might just be slightly steeper to climb this time around.