India and Sri Lanka are gearing up for a three-match T20I series that will take off this Saturday, July 27, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele. Under the charge of interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka is backing themselves to take full advantage of the absence of a few star players of Indian cricket, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, each of whom announced their retirement recently.
The three legendary cricketers announced their retirement shortly after leading India to victory in last month’s T20 World Cup. In light of the development, Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as the new captain of India’s T20I team. It will be a big change for this Indian team as they get used to having different leadership.
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Sanath Jayasuriya, who took over as interim head coach after Chris Silverwood resigned in the wake of Sri Lanka’s early World Cup exit, said his team was ready to capitalise on the situation. “Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the best players in the world. Considering the kind of talent and value they bring, not having them is a big loss for India. We need to capitalise on it fully,” Sanath Jayasuriya was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
India too is undergoing a coaching transition under Gautam Gambhir. Unlike Jayasuriya, this isn’t a temporary role and Gambhir has become the head coach on a full-time basis. Though he has reasonable experience mentoring teams like Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, it will be Gambhir’s first such stint as a head coach on the international stage.
Sri Lanka too has undergone a change in captaincy, with Charith Asalanka taking over the reins from Wanindu Hasaranga, who led the team during the T20 World Cup 2024.
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Asalanka is coming off a high, having just led Jaffna Kings to their fourth Lanka Premier League title in five seasons. He is keen to begin his captaincy tenure in international cricket with a positive start. With new leadership structures at the helm of both teams, this series should be quite an exciting affair when they face each other with a hunger to prove themselves at the international level.
