India vs Sri Lanka, T20Is: Focus on Dhawan and Bumrah
What's the story
Team India is set to host Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series, starting Sunday. The Virat Kohli-led side will be aiming to do well and gain the upper hand against its neighbors. A lot of focus will be on Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah in this series. Both make a return to the side from respective injuries. Here's more.
Bumrah
Bumrah to lead India's pace-bowling attack
Bumrah will lead India's pace-bowling attack against the Lankans. The right-arm pacer missed cricket post the Test series against West Indies in August-September. Bumrah, who had suffered a back injury, will need to work with a fresh set of combinations. Mohammed Shami has been rested, whereas, Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are long-term absentees. Bumrah has Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur as pace-bowling partners.
Series
Crucial series for Bumrah ahead of Australia, NZ assignments
Bumrah's presence will lift the Indian side, who need a personality like him at the death. The celebrated Bumrah will also give a lot of inputs to both Saini and Thakur. It also remains to be seen how Bumrah settles in after a long gap. This series will also shape him for the upcoming assignments against Australia and New Zealand respectively.
Dhawan
Dhawan cannot let this opportunity go by
Meanwhile, Dhawan, who had suffered a knee injury during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will be aiming to make things count in this series. It is a pivotal phase for the cricketer with KL Rahul stepping in and doing well of late. With Rohit Sharma being rested for the T20Is, the opportunity is a major one for Dhawan. He cannot afford to waste it.
Details
Team India T20I squad and the schedule
India squad (T20Is against Sri Lanka): Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson. After the first T20I on January 5, India's next two matches are on January 7 and 10 respectively.