Team India. (Source – BCCI)
India will be up against Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I of the ongoing series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, on Tuesday, July 30. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side is already 2-0 up in the series after clinching two convincing victories in the first two matches.
Ravi Bishnoi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Hardik Pandya had a wonderful outing in the previous match. The Men in Blue will be confident coming into the final fixture and will be hoping to whitewash the series before heading to the ODI series against the island nation.
Here’s India’s predicted XI for the 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka:
Openers – Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal
India will be going with their opening pair of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Vice-captain Gill missed out in the second T20I after suffering a neck spasm on the day of the match. Sanju Samson replaced him and opened the innings but walked back to the dressing room after a first-ball duck. In the first T20I, Gill scored a 16 ball-34, which included six boundaries and one six.
On the other hand, his partner Jaiswal, featured in both T20Is and is fourth highest run-scorer. In two games he has smashed 70 runs, including scores of 40 and 30, respectively. Jaiswal has been in good touch and will be continuing the same in the upcoming match.
Middle-order: Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Riyan Parag
India’s middle order will consist of star batters Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, and Riyan Parag. Skipper Yadav will aim to lead the side from the front for the last time in the series. The 33-year-old has been in great form batting at the No.3 spot and is currently India’s highest run-scorer in the series. In two matches, Yadav has smashed 58 and 26 respectively. He also emerged as the Player of the Match in the first T20I.
Though Rishabh Pant took the wicketkeeping duties in the first two matches, the management might give Samson a chance to replace the southpaw for the final game. Pant, who is part of the three-match ODI series, might get adequate rest before the commencement of the series. While Samson had a poor outing with the bat as an opener, coming down the order might change his fortune.
Furthermore, young Riyan Parag will once again find his place in India’s middle order against Sri Lanka in the third T20I. In the first T20I, Parag had a poor show with the bat as he was dismissed after scoring a mere seven runs. But the 22-year-old redeemed himself with the ball in his hand, picking three wickets in just 1.2 overs. In the last game, Parag didn’t get a chance to bat but with the ball, he went wicketless and conceded 30 runs in his quota of four overs.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel
India might field three all-rounders against Sri Lanka in the final T20I of the series in the form of Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and Axar Patel. Pandya, after a disappointing performance in the first T20I, came back strong in the last match with both bat and ball. He smashed an unbeaten 22 runs in just nine balls to take the side over the line. With the ball, he picked up two wickets and conceded 23 runs.
Singh will be given another opportunity as a finisher for the side in the final match. The young left-hander couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity in the first match and departed after adding just one run to the scorecard. In the last game, he didn’t get the opportunity to bat.
Axar Patel will complete India’s all-rounder lineup. The 30-year-old has been in brilliant form for the Men in Blue as of late, and the side will hope that he will keep up with his performances in the upcoming game as well. In two games he has picked four wickets and also gives the team a dependable batter, lower down the order.
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Khaleel Ahmed, Arshdeep Singh
India could opt for two pacers and one specialist spinner against the host nation in the final T20I. Ravi Bishnoi will be the specialist spinner in the side. The leg spinner has been in excellent form lately, picking a total of four wickets in two matches. In the previous match, Bishnoi bowled a match-winning spell of 3/26.
Mohammed Siraj, who featured in the last two games, might be rested ahead of the ODI series starting from August 2. Khaleel Ahmed might be given a chance. Ahmed, who was part of India’s squad in the recent Zimbabwe series, picked three wickets in three matches.
Lastly, Arshdeep Singh could be the final player in India’s lineup for the third T20I against Sri Lanka. Arshdeep has been brilliant so far picking four wickets in two games. Yadav & Co. will not mind going in with two left-arm seamers for the final game.