Picking a combined India-Sri Lanka playing 11 ahead of T20I series ft. Suryakumar Yadav, Matheesha Pathirana
T20 world champions India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series, which begins with the first game at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, July 27. The second and third matches of the T20I series will also be played at the same venue on July 28 and July 30 respectively.
Dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain of India's T20I team, while Shubman Gill has been picked as the vice-captain. The Men in Blue enter a new era in T20Is following the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from the format.
Sri Lanka have named Charith Asalanka as captain for the T20I series after Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down from the role following the T20 World Cup. The hosts have suffered a couple of blows even before the start of the tournament, with pacer Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara being ruled out.
Ahead of the India-Sri Lanka series, we pick a combined playing XI of the two sides for the T20I format.
Openers: Kusal Perera (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal
Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera and India's Yashasvi Jaiswal would be the openers in the combined XI. Both the left-handed batters love going after the bowling from the word go. As a result, they might get dismissed cheaply at times. However, when they get going, they can be unstoppable.
Perera has featured in 66 T20Is for Sri Lanka and has smashed 1677 runs at a strike rate of 130.40, with 13 half-centuries. As for Jaiswal, he has 643 runs from 20 T20Is at an excellent strike rate of 162.78, with one ton and five fifties. Jaiswal also possesses a highly impressive record in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Middle-order & All-rounders: Kusal Mendis, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Wanindu Hasaranga
Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis could occupy the No. 3 slot in the combined India-Sri Lanka T20I XI. He is an experienced campaigner in international cricket. Speaking of his T20I record, Mendis has 1629 runs to his name from 67 matches at a strike rate of 134.40, with 14 half-centuries.
India's Suryakumar would lead the combined T20I team. The right-handed batter has an exceptional record in the format and is considered among the best in the business on current form. In 68 matches, the 33-year-old has smacked 2340 runs at a strike rate of 167.74, with four hundreds and 19 fifties. Suryakumar's consistency and match-winning ability has been absolutely amazing.
Hardik Pandya and Wanindu Hasaranga would perform the all-rounder's role in the combined India-Sri Lanka T20I XI. Pandya had a memorable T20 World Cup campaign, making significant contributions with both bat and ball. The 30-year-old 1492 runs in 100 T20Is at a strike rate of 140.88. With the ball, he has claimed 84 wickets at an average of 25.48.
Shifting focus to Hasaranga, having given up captaincy, he will be keen to focus on his bowling and batting skills. The 26-year-old has a wonderful record with the ball in T20Is. In 68 matches, he has 110 wickets at an average of 15.43 and an economy rate of 6.84. Hasaranga's batting is highly underrated. He has 670 runs at a strike rate of 132.14, with two half-centuries.
Rinku Singh, who was unlucky to miss out on the T20 World Cup, also finds a place in the combined XI. The 26-year-old has played some impactful knocks for India down the order, and has the ability to smash big hits at will. In 20 T20Is, he has 416 runs at a strike rate of 176.27, with two fifties.
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana
Arshdeep Singh was one of the heroes of India's T20 World Cup campaign. In fact, he finished the tournament as the joint-leading wicket-taker, with 17 wickets in eight matches at an average of 12.65. A genuine strike bowler, the 25-year-old has had an impressive T20I career so far. In 52 matches the left-arm seamer has claimed 79 wickets at an average of 19.10 and an economy rate of 8.39.
Matheesha Pathirana would be Arshdeep's pace bowling partner in the combined India-Sri Lanka T20I IX. The right-arm pacer fast bowler has 14 wickets from nine T20Is at an average of 17.07 and an economy rate of 8.05. Just 21, Pathirana has already made a significant impact in the IPL and the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
Ravi Bishnoi and Maheesh Theekshana would be the spin bowling options in the combined XI. 23-year-old Bishnoi has made a great start to his T20I career. In 29 matches, the young leg-spinner has 42 scalps at an average of 19.26 and an economy rate of 7.18.
As for Sri Lanka's off-spinner Theekshana, he is also an impact bowler. In 49 T20Is, the 23-year-old has picked up 45 wickets, averaging 27.66 at an impressive economy rate of 6.71. Along with Hasaranga, the hosts will be banking on him to deliver the goods with the ball in the series against India.