After winning the limited-overs series against the West Indies by a 3-0 margin in the recent T20I and ODI format, India welcomes Sri Lanka for a series of two Test matches and three-match T20Is starting from Thursday 24th February 2022 in Lucknow. India will not have Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant for the shortest format series. But they will play the Test series.
India has also dropped their Test specialist from the two-match Test series. Ajinkya Rahane and Chesteshwar Pujara were supposed to be India’s go-to men in the traditional format. But because of their poor form and inconsistency, the BCCI selectors and management have told Pujara and Rahane to concentrate on playing the Ranji Trophy 2022 season.
Rohit Sharma will captain India in the T20I series, and Hit Man has also been named the new skipper of the Test format. His first assignment will be the red ball game in Mohali from 4th March 2022, and then he will also lead the team in the Pink Ball test match at Bengaluru from 12th to 16th March 2022.
Sri Lanka has announced their squad for the three-match T20I series against India.
Sri Lanka recently lost the T20I series against Australia. But they won the last match of that series, which will give them the confidence to face India in this T20I series. Sri Lanka has named their T20I match will take on the Rohit and Co from Thursday. The last two matches of this T20I series will be played on back-to-back days, 26th and 27th February 2022.
Avishka Fernando has been dropped from the squad of the shortest format series against the hosts, India, because of a knee injury. The all-rounder Ramesh Mendis and Nuwan Thushara will also be the notable absentees from the T20Is against India. Bhanuka Rajapaksha, the Middle Order Sri Lankan batsman, has also been not included because of fitness issues.
Avishka has struggled in the shortest format. He has scored just 331 runs at an average of 12.33, and against Australia in the recently concluded T20I series, he has an average of just 5.50, and he is yet to score a half-century in the shortest format. Nuwan Tushara picked up just one wicket in the five-match series, while Ramesh Mendis didn’t get a game.
The Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLCB) has named Ashian Daniel in this T20I squad against Rohit and Co. Ashian is an off-spin bowler who made his debut for Nondescript Cricket Club. The 21-year-old off-spinner has been included in the T20I squad as the subject to ministerial approval. He was one of the reserved against Zimbabwe in the fifty overs series, which was played earlier in 2022 January.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Binura Fernando are the part of this T20I squad. Both these players were tested for Corona Virus positive in the tour of Australia. The Aussies won the T20I series by a margin of 4-1. Hasaranga and Binura were included in this series after completing their seven-day quarantine period.
The Sri Lanka fast bowling all-rounder Dasun Shanaka will lead the Lankans in this T20I series, and Charith Asalanka will be the vice-captain of this side for this three-match T20I series. Lucknow and Dharamshala will be the venues for this upcoming series of the shortest format, which will start in just two days.
Sri Lanka Tour of India 2022 – Sri Lanka’s T20I squad against India
Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kamil Mishara, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama and Ashian Daniel.
