Suryakumar Yadav to lead India in T20I series against Sri Lanka; Arshdeep, Siraj, Pant get call-ups

Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 18 (ANI): Star batter Suryakumar Yadav will lead Team India in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad on Thursday. Shubman Gill who led the Men in Blue in the recently concluded T20I series against Zimbabwe, will be Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the forthcoming three-match 20-over series against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who last led the team was not given the responsibility to lead the side. Pacers Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant were also called in the T20I squad after they were given rest for India's tour of Zimbabwe.

The India's tour of Sri Lanka will be starting from July 27 onwards. The tour will kick-start with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series, which will start from August 1.

The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches, as per ESPNCricinfo.

The three T20Is will be held on July 27, July 28 and July 30.

Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India's last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

This will be India's second T20I series after their T20 World Cup win, defeating South Africa by seven runs in the final. The Men in Blue recently defeated Zimbabwe by 4-1 in the 5-match T20I series.

India's T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mohd. Siraj. (ANI)