IND vs SL: India's best starting XI in T20I series

India are all set to challenge Sri Lanka in a limited-overs series at home. The Men in Blue will kickstart their campaign with the shortest format on Tuesday, January 3 and then the action will move to the ODIs from January 10 onwards. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul are not part of the T20I series and Hardik Pandya will lead the troops with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy.

Though a few gun players are absent, the Indian contingent for the shortest format is still pretty formidable. The 16-member squad is stacked with match-winners and has the ability to defeat the Asia Cup champions. Let us look at what can be India’s best starting XI for the upcoming series.

Here is India's best starting XI for the T20I series against Sri Lanka

1. Ishan Kishan (wk)

Ishan Kishan has made a name for himself for his fearless brand of cricket. The 24-year-old is one of those batters who can take the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and has proven his mettle in the T20 circuit time and over again. He has featured in 75 IPL matches and scored 1870 runs at a strike rate of 132.34.

The wicketkeeper-batter has looked to make this chance count for Team India as well. Kishan has played 21 T20Is and scored 589 runs at a strike rate of 129.16. He has put bowling attacks under the pump with his swashbuckling stroke play and provided his team with brisk starts.

In the final game of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, the ace batter put on an exhibition of his flamboyant stroke play and blasted 210 runs in 131 deliveries, which comprised ten maximums. Kishan has been in a pristine touch and would be eager to stamp his authority in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.