Predicted Indian XI for 1st India-Sri Lanka T20I

The road to the World T20 2016 has begun from January 25, and team India has started well by winning the series against Australia 3-0. The last time India played a World Cup at home which was Sachin Tendulkar’s last back in 2011 and, they gave Indians a reason to feel proud, to celebrate and to smile. The last time India played a T20I match against Sri Lanka was the World T20 2014 final which Sri Lanka by 6 wickets but this time around India looks stronger and are playing at home and their confidence is sky high after beating the mighty Australians Down Under and you may see the same scorecard that we have seen at the end of Australia series considering the fact that Sri Lanka have come to India without their experienced players. Here, we look at the eleven players who would most likely be given the responsibility to make sure that India again wins and starts another series on a high note. 1. Rohit Sharma: Rohit Sharma. (Photo by Mark Nolan – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Following an impressive performance in Australia in both ODI and T20I series, Rohit Sharma will take the responsibility of opening the batting for India once again. He scored 441 runs in ODI series and 143 runs in T20Is in Australia and consistently gave India a good start and will be looking to repeat his performance in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and also try to create and break many records as well. Recently he said that his best is yet to come and we all know the level of unpredictability with Rohit, he just keeps the surprises coming. In him India definitely have a stable yet dynamic opener. 2. Shikhar Dhawan: Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by Mark Nolan – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Unless India tries again to experiment with Rahane at the top, we will see Shikhar opening the innings for the visitors because he is an impact player and has won them many matches. Dhawan would love to express himself against the inexperienced Sri Lanka bowlering. Earlier this month he was also named in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup and the World T20, along with that he also got his form back in last two ODI matches against Australia and did well in T20I series. If Dhawan can give Rohit enough support may be we won’t see the other batsmen walk out to bat. 3. Ajinkya Rahane: Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ajinkya Rahane did not play a macth in the T20I series against Australia because of his injury while Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina won India a match and they confirmed their spots but with Virat Kohli rested, this series will give Rahane another chance to prove his mettle at no.3 in T20Is though it is Virat’s slot good performance here will earn him a spot in the XI even after his return. If he fails then India may think of including Manish Pandey who is not in India’s World T20 squad. Rahane has the potential to tackle the situation as he has proved himself earlier and now it is the time to repeat those performances. If we go by his current form and self belief, he will surely do all that is expected of him. 4. Suresh Raina: Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: BCCI) Suresh Raina was dropped from Indian ODI side in Australia. He came in for the T20Is, and showed his potential and proved that he is a match-winner and would now want to repeat his performance and if he clicks then India will surely win. Raina along with Dhoni and Yuvraj has the responsibility of finishing things off for the team. He wasn’t asked to bowl in Australia but this time he would also want to contribute with his bowling. 5. MS Dhoni: MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Getty Images) We saw a Dhoni that we saw few years back in last T20I series against Australia. In the absence of Virat Kohli, India will rely on him to finish the matches and he would himself be keen to execte things off in his style towards the end. The 2007 World T20, 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy were the major trophies Dhoni won for India and that gave his career a new dimension, he will want to prove his critics wrong for one last time starting with a win in the home series against Sri Lanka which will definitely lift him up for upcoming World T20. 6. Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj Singh. (Photo by Mark Nolan – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Last time we saw Yuvraj Singh against Sri Lanka in T20Is was in the World T20 2014 final match, where he struggled and India lost the match and Yuvi was badly criticized after that but recently he made a comeback in the Indian side on the back of his impressive domestic performances and also helped India win the third T20I match against Australia and that match showed us that Yuvraj Singh is back but the only concern is he didn’t get significant opportunity to bat in that series while this one against Sri Lanka will give him another chance and he will look to help the team with his explosive batting, part-time spin bowling and fielding. 7. Ravindra Jadeja: Ravindra Jadeja. (© IDI via Getty Images) With Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the team, Jadeja might sometimes even bat at no. 8 and he may not even get a chance to bat in the series. But they would certainly want Jaddu to do well with the ball and on the field as he has helped India to win the T20I series against Australia and was the pick of the bowlers from all Indian bowlers throughout the series. Bowling on Indian pitches and with Ashwin for company he will be a lethal bowler. 8. Hardik Pandya: Hardik Pandya. (Photo by Morne DeKlerk – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Hardik Pandya who played first time for India in last T20I series against Australia, bowled decently after his first over but he did not get a chance to bat and this series will probably tell us how good he can bat and also what he has learned from the Australian tour. India have picked Pawan Negi in their squad as well and they might well opt to him in case the management is looking to test the batting depth. Though Dhoni has on a couple of occasions talked about Pandya’s potential in post-match interviews it’s time for Hardik to deliver good performances to come true to his captain’s expectations. 9. Ravichandran Ashwin: Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravichandran Ashwin had been a revelation for India in Tests in Indian condition last year. However the same can’t be said in T20I and ODI cricket because he was dropped from playing XI after first two ODI matches but bowled well in the T20Is. Ashwin will rely on flight, guile and traditional off spin along with his variations. The kind of cricketer he is will be definitely be working towards his World T20 plans during this series. 10. Jasprit Bumrah: Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo Source: Twitter) Jasprit Bumrah was the find of the tour as MS Dhoni had said in his one of post-match interviews but now onus will be on him to prove his worth once again in upcoming series. He has all the varieties under his belt and he implemented those well in the series against Australia but this series will show us that whether he can maintain that consistency at the top level for a longer time or not. To what we have seen of him one may expect Bumrah to maintain his consistency and become India’s most lethal bowling weapon. 11. Ashish Nehra: Ashish Nehra. (Photo by Mark Nolan – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Ashish Nehra made his comeback into the Indian team after 5 years in the last series against Australia and bowled decently but we cannot say that he bowled very well and now that he has been included in India’s World T20 squad it will give him the confidence and if he bowls well at the death then the skipper Dhoni will be happier than other because it was he who backed the veteran and now it is the right time for Nehra to give his best using his international experience and help India not only win the series against Sri Lanka but also towards the bigger goal.

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Predicted Indian XI for 1st India-Sri Lanka T20I

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