India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I Prediction: Who will win today's match?
Surprisingly, the last time India and Sri Lanka faced off in a T20I series, the latter came out on top. 2-1 was the scoreline in July 2021 as the Lankans overcame defeat in the series opener to clinch the trophy with inspired performances in the next two games.
However, the stats don't tell the whole story. India were severely depleted due to positive COVID-19 cases and had to play the last two T20Is with Bhuvneshwar Kumar batting at No. 6. Still, the Men in Blue put up a fight and pushed their southern neighbors hard.
Thankfully for India, while they have a few personnel concerns to deal with this time as well, they are the firm favorites for the three-match T20I series that commences on Thursday, February 24 in Lucknow.
Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar and Rishabh Pant are among the Indian names who will be missing in action. But boosted by the return of Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, the hosts will be confident of building on their whitewash of West Indies.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka suffered a massive setback as Wanindu Hasaranga tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time to be ruled out of the series. In the absence of their star all-rounder, as well as the injured Avishka Fernando and the dropped Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka's men will have their task cut out against an Indian juggernaut that has rolled on relentlessly under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.
India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I: Hasaranga-less Lankans in search of miracle
Pathum Nissanka has been a rare bright spot for Sri Lanka amidst a batting lineup that has failed to deliver on a regular basis. Shanaka and Kusal Mendis have played the odd knock of substance, but the rest of the batters have flattered to deceive.
Charith Asalanka, who has been one of Sri Lanka's best batters since his debut, had a tough tour of Australia. He registered scores of 16, 0, 6, 22 and 20 in the five games as his team lost the series comprehensively. The vice-captain will have to raise his game against India.
Maheesh Theekshana would've loved to have some support from Hasaranga, but the mystery spinner will be Sri Lanka's biggest weapon against India. The raw pace of Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara will ask some questions as well.
Meanwhile, India will look to go from strength to strength after their productive outing against West Indies. With exciting names like Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja expected to feature in the playing XI, Rohit will be confident of his batters continuing to iron out the concerns that have plagued them in white-ball cricket over the last two years.
Bumrah's return makes India's bowling attack a formidable, well-rounded unit that can take 10 wickets on any night. Others like Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravi Bishnoi are also in good rhythm and will be extremely tough to counter for Sri Lanka.
The toss might play a big role in Lucknow, but that didn't faze India against West Indies and it shouldn't bother them now. The Men in Blue are the firm favorites to take an early lead in the three-match series.
Prediction: India to win the first T20I vs Sri Lanka