India's tour of Sri Lanka is set to begin on July 26, starting with a three-match T20I series. Following the T20Is, a three-match ODI series will commence on August 1. The T20I matches will be held at the Pallekele International Stadium, while the R Premadasa Stadium will host the ODIs, according to ESPNCricinfo.
The T20I series schedule is as follows: the first match on July 26, the second on July 27, and the final on July 29. Both teams will feature new head coaches. Sanath Jayasuriya, the legendary all-rounder, has been appointed as the interim head coach for Sri Lanka. For India, this tour marks the first assignment for former opener Gautam Gambhir as head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid. (WATCH: Ben Stokes Shell-Shocked By WI Spinner's Ripping Delivery, Video Goes VIRAL)
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 with 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. Currently, a new-look India side, led by Shubman Gill and coached by VVS Laxman is on a tour to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series. The series is currently in India's hands by 2-1, with the fourth T20I set to be played on Saturday at Harare. (What Is Team India's New Head Coach Gautam Gambhir's Salary? Details Inside)
On the other hand, the T20 World Cup was poor for Sri Lanka as they failed to reach the Super Eights. They lost to South Africa and Bangladesh in the group stage and could only register one win against the Netherlands. Their game against Nepal was washed out due to rain. With just three points, Lanka finished in the third spot in Group D.
Following Rohit Sharma's announcement to retire from T20Is after winning the ICC T20 World Cup, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to lead the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul will lead the team in ODIs, as per the sources.
"Hardik Pandya is all set to lead the Indian team in the T20, Rohit Sharma's announced his retirement. Hardik is also unlikely to be rested for the upcoming series vs Sri Lanka," BCCI Sources told ANI.
In the T20 WC, Pandya scored 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 151.57, with a half-century and best score of 50*. He also took 11 wickets in eight games at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64, with the best figures of 3/20.
This tournament marked a redemption tale for Hardik, who was booed out in every stadium across India during the IPL 2024 after taking over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians (MI) from five-time IPL champion Rohit Sharma. The all-rounder, who was just making a comeback into the game after suffering an injury to his ankle in the 50-over World Cup last year, became a victim of online trolling and fan wars as he was accused of betraying the MI franchise, Rohit and his former franchise Gujarat Titans (GT), which he led to IPL title in 2022.
On the other hand, KL Rahul was omitted from the Men in Blue T20 WC squad despite performing brilliantly in the ODI World Cup 2023 which was held in India, scoring 452 runs in 11 games with a century and two fifties. (With ANI Inputs)
