Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in the three T20Is during the tour to Sri Lanka starting July 27 in Pallekele. Rohit Sharma will return to lead the ODI team for the first time since last year’s World Cup final defeat as KL Rahul also returns to the national fold.
Suryakumar takes over as India’s T20I captain from Rohit who announced his retirement after the team’s T20 World Cup title win last month in Barbados. The 33-year-old Suryakumar made his international debut in a T20I against England in 2021 and has amassed over 2300 runs in the format with four hundreds and 19 fifties. The Mumbai batter has previously led India in seven T20Is, scoring 300 runs with a hundred. It is understood that Hardik Pandya’s fitness concerns and workload management were key factors in the management’s decision to opt for Suryakumar as the captain instead.
Meanwhile, Rahul marks his return to the national side after his injury during the home Test series against England earlier this year. The 32-year-old recorded 520 runs for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2024 season but missed a World Cup spot.
The series will mark a first for Gautam Gambhir as India head coach as he takes over from Rahul Dravid who steered the team to the T20 World Cup triumph in the Caribbean last month. A second-string Indian team toured Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series under Shubman Gill’s leadership, winning 4-1.
The ODIs will also be crucial for India to firm up their combinations ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy. India will only play six ODIs before the tournament, including three matches against England in January 2025.
India last toured the island nation for the Asia Cup ODIs in 2023. The Men in Blue lifted the title with a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a final where they were bowled out for 50.
India T20I squad for Sri Lanka tour: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman 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, Mohd. Siraj.
India ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
IND vs SL T20I series schedule
27 July: 1st T20I in Pallekele, 7 PM IST
28 July: 2nd T20I in Pallekele, 7 PM IST
30 July: 3rd T20I in Pallekele, 7 PM IST
IND vs SL ODI series schedule
2 August: 1st ODI Colombo, 2:30 PM IST
4 August: 2nd ODI Colombo, 2:30 PM IST
7 August: 3rd ODI Colombo, 2:30 PM IST
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