IND VS SL 1ST T20I Match Preview: Team India is entering the era of new coach Gautam Gambhir on its Sri Lanka tour. Today the India-Sri Lanka series of three T20 international matches is going to start. The first T20 match between India and Sri Lanka will be played today at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele (Kandy).

After the T20 World Cup title win, regular captain Rohit Sharma had announced his retirement from T20 International. After the global tournament, India had gone on a tour of Zimbabwe under the leadership of Shubman Gill, but now the team has come on a tour of Sri Lanka with senior players and Suryakumar will be seen commanding the team, while Shubman will be in the role of vice-captain.

On the other side Charith Asalanka is set to lead a strong Sri Lankan team. In such a situation, there is every possibility that the first match of the series will be a blast. India recently defeated Zimbabwe 4-1 under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, while the Sri Lankan Lions have been out of action since their exit from the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. Interestingly, all eyes will be on Hardik Pandya, who has returned to action after being dropped from T20 captaincy.

Pallekele Pitch Report
The pitch at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy is good for both batsmen and bowlers. Bowling becomes very important here in the death overs, this is the time when a lot of wickets are taken. On this pitch, fast bowlers are more important than spinners. However, here the batsmen will also get a lot of opportunities to open their hands.

IND vs SL, T20I Records
Sri Lanka and India have played 29 T20 International matches against each other so far. During this period, Team India has registered a resounding victory in 19 matches, while Sri Lanka has won nine matches. One match between the two teams ended without any result.

India Squad for T20I Series: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

Sri Lanka Squad for T20I Series: Charith Asalanka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Janith Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellal.

Broadcasting and Streaming Platforms
Sony Sports Network has the rights to broadcast the India-Sri Lanka series. You can watch live in Hindi and English on its different channels of Sony Sports Network. Live-streaming of this match can be seen on Sony Liv app.