India vs Sri Lanka: Top 3 Indian Batters In The Spotlight For The Series

India’s tour of Sri Lanka is set to take off with the 1st T20I scheduled for 27th July. The series holds significant importance for both teams. While Sri Lanka will play under Charith Asalanka as the new captain, India will feature an entirely transformed squad. Following the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the shortest format, attention has shifted to young prospects like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Moreover, the series will mark the first project for Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team (ICT). Likewise, this will be the team’s first performance crafted by Gautam Gambhir as the head coach. Team India will play three T20Is from 27th to 30th July before heading to the 50-over format. Read below to find out the batters set to grab the spotlight after the exit of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from T20Is.

1. Shubman Gill

Though young, Gill has been around the Indian team setup for quite a while now. However, the youngster is yet to leave a mark in the shortest format. Gill has played 19 T20Is, scoring 505 runs at an average of 29.70 and a strike rate of 139.50. The 24-year-old has projected himself as a splendid timer of the ball with some eye-pleasing strokes in his game. However, clearly, Gill lags behind in the scoring rate in the dynamic format. Now, with his appointment as the Indian vice-captain, Gill’s presence in the team has been solidified. Thus, the opening batter will look to introduce some aggression to his batting game to exploit the powerplay advantages.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Jaiswal is the most likely pick for the opening slot along with Shubman Gill. Jaiswal displayed the ultimate T20 temperament with his performance for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023. Rightfully so, the young batter from Mumbai earned an Indian team call-up in August 2023 for the West Indies tour. Until now, Jaiswal has played 20 matches, scoring 643 runs at an average of 37.82 and a strike rate of 162.78. The 22-year-old, moreover, has registered five half-centuries and a century to his credit.

The batter followed Team India in their T20 World Cup campaign. However, he didn’t get to play any matches with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the designated openers for the tournament. Now, with Sharma gone, Jaiswal has some big shoes to fill and mark his place in the Playing XI. Jaiswal, a new-gen batter, fits the T20 batting template impressively well. Going against Sri Lanka, the youngster will be an interesting pick to watch due to his fierce hitting gameplay.

3. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has all eyes on him for the Sri Lanka series. Yadav will take the field on the 27th not just as a batter but as the leader of the Indian side. However, his batting and unusual shot selection remain the best elements in Yadav’s game. The middle-order batter has proved his suitability for the team in T20Is time and again.

While his catch proved the winning factor for India in the T20 World Cup, his batting also assisted the team significantly. Yadav scored 199 runs across eight matches, emerging as the second highest-run scorer in the campaign for India after captain Rohit Sharma. Now, for the series against Sri Lanka, Yadav is likely to take up the No. 3 spot after Kohli’s exit from the format. It remains to be seen how the captaincy affects SKY’s batting and hitting tendencies in the upcoming series.