On Saturday, July 27, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian cricket team faced off against the Sri Lankan team, captained by Charith Asalanka, in the first T20I of their three-match series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. This match marked the beginning of a new era for the Indian team, with Suryakumar Yadav taking over as captain and Gautam Gambhir stepping in as head coach.
This series was not the first T20I competition for India following their T20 World Cup victory and the retirements of key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. Earlier in the month, India had played a T20I series in Zimbabwe with a squad made up entirely of young players, and VVS Laxman was the head coach for that tour, supported by his NCA staff.
In contrast, the Sri Lanka tour featured the return of all first-choice players for the T20I series, a new captain who was not Hardik Pandya, and a revamped coaching team. Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate joined the Indian team as new coaches under head coach Gambhir’s direction.
The way we played in the World Cup, that reminded us that the game was still too far – Suryakumar Yadav
In the first T20I, the Indian cricket team, invited to bat first, set a total of 213/7, thanks to strong performances from Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant. During the chase, Sri Lankan batsmen Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis initially put the Indian bowlers under pressure. However, India’s bowlers managed to dismiss Sri Lanka for 170, securing a 43-run victory.
During the post-match presentation, Suryakumar Yadav, who was named Player of the Match, praised the Sri Lankan team for their quality cricket throughout their innings. Despite his team’s win, Yadav did not attribute the victory to the batting or bowling performances. Instead, he emphasized that the absence of dew played a crucial role in the match, suggesting that India was fortunate in that regard.
“They were playing a good brand of cricket from ball one. They were keeping the tempo, credit goes to them.
“We know how the wicket plays in the night. We were fortunate that there was no dew.”
Suryakumar Yadav added that despite Sri Lanka flying high at 140/1, the Indian team weren’t under pressure because they were confident, thanks to their recent T20 World Cup win. Suryakumar Yadav elaborated:
“The way we played in the World Cup, that reminded us that the game was still too far. (Left-right combination to be persisted?) Whatever works for the team, we’ll take the call.”
Meanwhile, the teams have very little turnaround time as the next match is scheduled to be played on Sunday, July 28, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
