Despite all the hype, the first T20I between India and Sri Lanka turned out to be a one-sided affair, with the hosts winning the game rather comfortably. An all-round performance ensured that the visitors were completely outplayed in all departments of the game. Thus, Sri Lanka needs to win the second game to stay alive in the series.
he fact that the Shanaka-led side are without a few of their key players doesn't help their cause either. Thus, the management would expect the likes of Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara to step up.
As far as their batting goes, Patum Nissanka will have to bat with a little more responsibility. As far as the Sharma-led side goes, their performance was as clinical as it could get. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer coming back to form would be a huge sigh of relief for the management.
However, they would want to test Sanju Samson and thus, he could find himself batting in the top-order. Another exciting thing to look forward to is Venkatesh Iyer's bowling. The all-rounder gave 36 runs in 3 overs in the last game and the series could decide the trajectory of his career.
Pitch Report - The surface in Dharmasala offers some help to the bowlers, but it's another wicket where the batters are likely to dominate the bowlers for major part of the game. However, quality of batters and bowlers should be considered as well.
Match Details:
Date - Saturday, February 26, 2022
Time - 7:00 PM IST
Venue - Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
Where to watch: Star Sports Network
IND vs SL Head-to-Head:
Total - 23
India - 15
Sri Lanka - 8
No Result - 1
Probable XIs
India:
Irrespective of Ruturaj Gaikwad being fit or not, the men in blue are expected to play the same XI. They wouldn't want to change a winning combination.
Predicted XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka:
Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kusal Medis and Maheesh Theekshana are still unavailable. Danushka Gunathilaka might play the second T20I though.
Predicted XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara/Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Kumara