IND v SL | India’s predicted XI for first T20I in Guwahati

Openers

Shikhar Dhawan: Returning to the side after being dropped for the West Indies series for a string of low scores, Dhawan has a lot to prove in the series that kicks off 2020 for India. There is no doubt that, at the moment, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have much superior numbers in T20s, but Dhawan has proven himself a big-stage player time and again. And with 2020 being a T20 World Cup year, the 34-year-old has the perfect opportunity to make his case to be on the flight to Australia. 

KL Rahul: With over 1100 runs at a 40-plus average and a strike rate exceeding 145, Rahul is, currently, India’s best T20 opener — even better than Rohit, casting fan-favouritism aside. And so, for the stylish right-hander, the challenge is to continue on his merry way. If he can forge a pairing with Dhawan as successful as the one he has with Rohit, India should have little to worry about when dealing with their neighbours. 

Middle-order

Virat Kohli: After sitting out the series’ against South Africa and Bangladesh, Kohli came back to haunt the visiting West Indians in quite brutish fashion. He carried India home in the first encounter, before sealing the series with a 70 off 29 balls. If that is anything to go by, the young Lankan attack is in for a tough time — especially as Kohli has great numbers against their best bowler, Lasith Malinga.

Shreyas Iyer: With a run of solid performances in the middle-order, Iyer has somewhat cemented his place as India’s solution to the No.4 slot. But he failed to maximise his opportunities against the Windies. And so, in the new year — particularly in the absence of Kohli’s ever-reliant #2 Rohit — it is up to Iyer to take responsibility and help his captain out. 

Rishabh Pant: While two fine cameos in the ODI series against West Indies has breathed a fresh lease of life into Pant’s batting, his shockingly poor run for India in T20Is is still a bother. And with an in-form Sanju Samson knocking on the door, Pant needs to urgently cash in on his fresh form and translate them into the shortest format. 

All-rounders

Ravindra Jadeja: Though not as scintillating as he can be in recent times, Jadeja continues to stitch together decent all-round performances. He provides a bankable experienced option for his skipper — especially in the absence of Hardik Pandya. Against Sri Lanka, the 31-year-old will look to further solidify his spot in the side.

Washington Sundar: The choice between Sundar and Shivam Dube is down to a simple factor. Sundar guarantees four overs — some in the powerplay itself — while also providing a decent option with the bat. And given an opportunity, the onus will be on the 20-year-old to make a telling contribution with the bat on Sunday. 

Bowlers

Shardul Thakur: After his heroic display in the series-decider in the ODI series against West Indies, Thakur has shown everyone that he can provide great depth for India’s batting arsenal at No.8. However, his T20I bowling numbers leave a lot of room for improvement with an average in the 30s and an economy rate at 8.80. If he can improve on those counts against an explosive, but young, Sri Lanka side, it will be a huge boost to his career.

Kuldeep Yadav: In what was a disastrous 2019 for spinners, India’s wicket-taking KulCha (Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal) combo also saw a major dip in performances. If initially only one of them was dropped to accommodate a fast bowler, now neither are first picks in an Indian XI. But the new year is an opportunity for a fresh start and on the back of a decent ODI outing against the Windies (including a hat-trick), the 25-year-old is more likely to feature in the line-up tomorrow. 

Navdeep Saini: After exploding onto the national scene with a three-fer in the Caribbean, Saini’s inexperience began to show at home against South Africa, before he was eventually replaced. But a strong showing in the third ODI — his debut in the format — against West Indies two weeks ago has seen him make a comeback into the T20I side against Sri Lanka. This time, he has India’s #1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah alongside him, and the 27-year-old will look to cash in.

Jasprit Bumrah: The cricketing fraternity — especially the ones in India — looked on ashen-faced as one of its leading bowlers was forced to the sidelines with a stress fracture. But now, four months after blowing the Windies away on their own patch, Bumrah is back. The key for him — and India — is to ease back into international cricket step-by-step, with one eye firmly fixed on the World Cup coming up in October.