India's Predicted Playing XI for T20I series against Sri Lanka

India is all set to tour Sri Lanka for three ODIs and three T20Is next month. However, the “Men in Blue” would be playing this series without their many specialists as they are in England for the Test series against the hosts. Thus, most of the key players are not available for the Sri Lanka series next month.

This forced the Indian selectors to pick a fresh side consisting of a lot of youngsters. These youngsters have a golden opportunity to prove themselves and seal their spot in the Indian team, especially in the shortest format of the game. A lot of talented individuals will be seen in action.

It is going to be very hard to pick a XI from the squad as almost every player deserves a spot in the team. So which are those players who are going to feature in the XI for the T20I series against Sri Lanka?

Here’s a look at India’s predicted playing XI for the Sri Lanka T20I series:

1. Shikhar Dhawan (C)

Shikhar Dhawan was announced as the captain for this series against Sri Lanka and thus, is certainly going to feature in the XI. Dhawan is the most experienced player in the squad and there are a lot of expectations from him to deliver. This is also a golden opportunity for him to seal his spot in India’s regular playing XI in the shortest format of the game. He has a chance to showcase his captaincy skills as well.

With KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma looking all set to be India’s regular openers for the upcoming T20 WC, this might be Dhawan’s best chance to prove a point. Besides, he has been in superb form of late. Dhawan was the best batsman in the first half of IPL 2021.

He scored 380 runs in the 8 innings and had an average of 54. He looked in sublime touch and was striking the ball with ease.

2. Prithvi Shaw

Despite all the critics and negativity surrounding him, Prithvi Shaw has managed to get back to the grove and has impressed one and all. The rising star from Mumbai has been in the form of his life. After a successful Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was superb in the first phase of IPL 2021 as well.

Shaw was very aggressive while batting and looked to attack almost every bowler he faced. Despite this, he was able to comfortably score runs and didn’t lose his focus. Shaw scored 308 runs in 8 innings at an average of 38. 50.

His strike rate was a whopping 166.48. Although the squad consists of the talented opener like Devdutt Padikal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, it looks like Shaw will get the nod ahead of them. This is a superb opportunity for Shaw to prove himself in the shortest version of the game.

3. Ishan Kishan (WK)

A hard-hitting talented wicketkeeper-batsman from Jharkhand, this isn’t the first time we have come across this name. Ishan Kishan is one of the most talented players going around in the domestic circuit. His wicketkeeping skills are a catalyst to his inclusion in the XI.

With the absence of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, this is a golden opportunity for him to be in the reckoning for the wicketkeeper spot in the T20 WC. Kishan was superb in his T20I debut as well. He scored a sensational 56 against a world-class English bowling attack earlier this year.

With Sanju Samson in the squad, there is an added pressure on Kishan to perform. Batting at 3 is ideal for him as he can get more deliveries to get in. Thus, he would don the gloves and bat at 3 for India in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

4. Suryakumar Yadav

The whole world has already seen a glimpse of Suryakumar Yadav‘s potential. He has been superb for Mumbai Indians and looked good for the “Men In Blue” as well. He made his international debut earlier this year and impressed one and all.

He scored a breathtaking 57 on his debut and started his international career with a six. He has been one of the best players for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL for quite a while now. He is a superb player of spin as well.

He is expected to play a big role in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. With Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant unavailable, this is an amazing opportunity for the Mumbai batsman to seal his spot in the XI. Thus, he is all set to bat at 4 for India in the T20I series.

5. Manish Pandey

After Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey is the most experienced player in the squad. He has had a fair share of experience in international cricket and was a regular face in the Indian team for a long time. This might be his last chance to seal a spot.

Despite not being bad, Pandey was never really consistent and failed to seal a spot for himself in the Indian team. He has another chance to make a statement come in the reckoning for the T20 WC squad. He was decent in the first half of IPL 2021 and scored 193 runs in the 5 innings he got to bat.

However, this time he will be batting at 5. His job would be to finish games. Taking his experience into account, Pandey might just be the right man for this job.

6. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is probably the only player in India’s squad to Sri Lanka who has already sealed his spot for the upcoming T20 WC. He has been India’s best batting all-rounder for quite a while now. However, he hasn’t been in the best of the form of late.

The hard-hitting all-rounder looked out of touch in the T20I series against England earlier this year. He was struggling in the first half of IPL 2021 as well. This might just be the best time for him to get his lost form back.

Hardik Pandya has a very good record against Sri Lanka and hasn’t bowled of late. This might be the ideal series for Pandya to not only get his form back but also bowl as that can also help in getting his confidence.

7. Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar has been one of India’s best bowlers in the shortest format of the game for quite a while now. He has been decent whenever given a chance to play for India. His IPL form has been superb as well.

The elder Chahar sibling was impressive in the first phase of IPL 2021 as well. He picked 8 wickets in 7 innings including two four-fers. However, he would be expected to bat as well.

Although his primary job is to bowl, the uncertainty around Hardik Pandya’s bowling would force India to play with 5 proper bowlers. Chahar is integral in India’s tour to Sri Lanka as he is expected to bowl with the new ball as well as in the death overs. Thus, he is a player who would certainly feature in the XI.

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named as the vice-captain of India’s squad which will be touring Sri Lanka. Thus, he is a certainty in the XI. Besides, he is one of India’s most experienced bowlers and thus, merits a place in the XI. Another important point to remember is his form.

He was in superb form during the ODI and T20I series against England earlier this year. He was not only economical but also picked wickets at crucial intervals. A peak Bhuvneshwar Kumar is an asset to any team.

The only concern for him is his fitness. His injury would jeopardize the team’s plans and thus, he needs to stay fit. Hence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is going to be one of the key players for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

9. Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini is currently one of the fastest Indian bowlers. While many might question his place in the team, his extra pace might just come in handy for India. Besides, every team needs that one bowler who can bully the opposition batsmen with his raw pace.

Although Saini hasn’t been in best of the form of late, he can be an X-factor. He is a good death bowler and hence, his presence in the team is crucial as the team needs a good death bowler. Saint’s performances in the T20Is he has played so far have been impressive as well.

He has picked 13 wickets in the 9 T20I games and he has an economy rate of 7.16. His T20I bowling average and Strike rate are 18.08 and 15.15 respectively. Thus, Saini starts in the XI.

10. Varun Chakravarthy

If there is one spinner who should have made his international debut for India by now then it has to be Varun Chakravarthy. He has been impressive, to say the least. It is rather unfortunate that he still hasn’t played for India.

Nevertheless, he has got his chance now and looks all set to make the most of his opportunity. He has played 21 IPL games and has picked 25 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 7.35. With Kuldeep not being at his best, Varun looks all set to replace him in the XI.

The conditions in Sri Lanka are mostly going to be spin-friendly and this might just help his cause. With the T20 WC being just around the corner, this might just be his best chance to seal his spot and become India’s second spinner in the XI. His debut is certainly going to be one of the things to watch out for in this series.

11. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has been India’s best T20I spinner for quite a while now. He has been one of India’s biggest match-winners with the ball and thus, is a certainty in the XI. He is expected to be India’s lead spinner once again.

Statistically, Chahal is India’s most successful bowler in T20I history. He has picked the most number of T20I wickets (62) by an Indians bowler in the shortest format of the game. Thus, there are huge expectations from him to deliver once again.

While his recent form hasn’t been bad, neither has it been good according to his standards. He was decent in the first half of IPL 2021. However, one would expect him to be at his best in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.