India have just beaten the West Indies while Sri Lanka acquitted themselves well in Australia but went down 4-1.
Both sides have recently been in action in the format but have endured contrasting fortunes.
India have just beaten the West Indies while Sri Lanka acquitted themselves well in Australia but went down 4-1.
India vs Sri Lanka | First T20I | Thursday 24 February | Ekana Sports City, Lucknow | 15:30
India
India play host again, and bring international cricket to a ground that will be the home of the Lucknow Super Giants in the future.
A hamstring injury has ruled Deepak Chahar out of the series but India have an abundance of pace cover with Harshal Patel, Bhuvi Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj at their disposal and the part-time medium pace of Venkatesh Iyer.
Virat Kohli is rested for the series leaving Rohit Sharma as the only real senior batter in the squad.
With Rishabh Pant also rested there could be opportunities with the gloves for Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, both of whom are promising top-order talents.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka need to see an improvement in their situational awareness when batting.
The team have not played at the venue before which could be a big factor as the unique dimensions of each cricket ground play a big part in most T20 fixtures.
Pathu Nissanka has emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading light in T20 cricket with backup from experienced campaigners like Kusal Mendis and former skipper Dinesh Chandimal.
After a quiet series against Australia Sri Lanka will want to see more from Charith Asalanka and allrounder Chamika Karunaratne.
Wanindu Hasaranga has been their star in the format but don’t be surprised if Maheesh Theekshana features strongly in the wickets column.
Verdict: India
The hosts have too much firepower for Sri Lanka.
