Match Details
Date: 03 January, 2023
Time: 7:00 PM IST
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
The Indian cricket team will start its new year with a white-ball series against Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue will play three T20Is as their first assignment of the year. Hardik Pandya has been handed the captaincy duties with Rohit Sharma still recovering from his thumb injury. Also, the selectors have included young faces in the squad indicating the future roadmap in T20Is. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have selected a full-fledged squad with Dasun Shanaka at the helm of affairs. Both teams will look to start the year with a win.
Pitch Report
The first T20I will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Wankhede pitch is known for its bounce and carry. Also, the boundaries at the venue are shorter, aiding the batters. However, bowlers, especially pacers, do get some help.
Team Analysis
India
India will be playing a T20I series after a month’s gap. A lot of things have changed from when India played at the T20 World Cup in 2022. Hardik Pandya is the captain now and is expected to turn the team’s fortunes around. He will have Suryakumar Yadav’s assistance who has been appointed as the new vice-captain in T20Is. Meanwhile, young talents like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, and Shivam Mavi have been included in the squad. These young shoulders are now expected to fill in the shoes of some of the greats of the game like KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Mukesh Kumar is another interesting prospect to look at.
SportsTiger Playing XI of India
Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will be playing their first T20I since the T20 World Cup 2022. The Dasun Shanaka-led team had a decent outing at the biennial tournament as they finished fourth in the Super 12s stage and qualified for the T20 World Cup 2024. Also, Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup 2022, defeating Pakistan in the summit clash. Now, with a fresh year and a fresh challenge ahead, the Dasun Shanaka-led team will be eager to start things on a high. The visitors have selected a strong squad with the likes of Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Kusal Mendis in the mix.
SportsTiger Playing XI of Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madhushanka
Match Prediction
Conclusion
Sri Lanka might have selected a full-fledged squad but India are playing at their home as well as they have in-form players. Therefore, the Men in Blue are expected to take down Sri Lanka.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.
