Wasim Jaffer picks India's playing XI for 1st T20I vs Sri Lanka, Ruturaj Gaikwad misses out
Former cricketer Wasim Jaffer recently picked India's playing XI for the first T20I against Sri Lanka. The first of the three-match series will take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3.
Jaffer named Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan as his openers ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gill and Kishan have been in superb form of late and deserve to be in the side.
Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and skipper Hardik Pandya complete the middle order. Suryakumar, the No.1 T20I batter in the world, finished 2022 as the highest run-scorer with 1164 runs at an average of 46.56. Sanju also had a good outing last year, smashing 179 runs in six games.
My playing XI for tomorrow:
1. Gill
2. Ishan (wk)
3. SKY
4. Sanju
5. Hardik (c)
6. Hooda
7. Axar
8. Sundar
9. Harshal
10. Chahal
11. Arshdeep
What's yours? #INDvSL
Hardik, on the other hand, had a breakthrough year in 2022. Since winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) title with the Gujarat Titans, he hasn't done much wrong. He was rewarded with leadership duties for his all-round performance. Hardik did a good job, winning four out of the five games he captained in the absence of Rohit Sharma.
Jaffer picked Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar as spin-bowling all-rounders. This will be a good opportunity for them to stake a claim in the side as the Indian think tank prepares for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh were the specialist pacers, while Jaffer named Yuzvendra Chahal as the frontline spinner. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad has missed out on a place in Jaffer's playing XI for the match.
India T20I series against Sri Lanka starts tomorrow 😎
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Wasim Jaffer's playing XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Arshdeep Singh.
India vs Sri Lanka squads for 1st T20I
India: Hardik Pandya (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, and Mukesh Kumar.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (vc), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara, and Nuwan Thushara.