Sri Lanka T20 squad to welcomes new faces; Asalanka to lead
Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, and Avishka Fernando are set to join Sri Lanka's T20 squad for the white-ball series agains India, alongside promising all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe who is poised for his international debut.
Charith Asalanka, the Vice-Captain of Sri Lanka's white-ball cricket team, is expected to assume leadership roles in both T20 and ODI formats. This decision comes following Wanindu Hasaranga's resignation from T20 captaincy and Kusal Mendis's recent struggles leading the ODI team.
The Sri Lanka squad for the upcoming series against India has been finalized and submitted for approval by the Sports Minister, with Asalanka appointed as captain. India's tour of Sri Lanka in July-August will feature three T20Is and ODIs each.
Notably, several senior cricketers who participated in the T20 World Cup in the USA have been excluded, while performers from the Lanka Premier League have been reintroduced into the squad. Omitted players include Dananjaya De Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Angelo Mathews.
Chamindu Wickramasinghe's inclusion in the national squad follows his impressive performances despite his team, the Dambulla Sixers, exiting the competition early. His versatile skills have earned him a spot in the squad.
India, on the other hand, has named Suryakumar Yadav as captain of their men's T20I team for the Sri Lanka tour, with Shubman Gill named vice-captain for both T20Is and ODIs.
Gautam Gambhir will debut as India's new coach for this white-ball series, succeeding Rahul Dravid who led the team to victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
This series marks India's first bilateral tour to Sri Lanka since 2021.