India have made four changes to their playing XI as the hosts look to acheive a record-equalling wining streak by defeating Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I in Dharamsala on Sunday. Sri Lanka “want to win at least one game for pride”, skipper Dasun Shanaka said as he won the toss and chose to bat first.
India’s changes include wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who was ruled out of today’s encounter after sustaining a head injury while batting in the second T20I on Saturday.
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Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal have been rested ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have been replaced by Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj.
Meanwhile, speaking at the toss, Sri Lanka captain Shanaka said the wicket looks good and that his side are looking to at least salvage some pride from a one-sided T20I series.
He also confirmed two changes for his side, with Praveen Jayawickrama and Kamil Mishara being replaced by Janith Liyanage and Jeffrey Vandersay.
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On the other hand, Rohit Sharma said he would have chosen to bowl first anyways, adding, “want to keep challenging to get better as a team, every opportunity counts”.
India’s win on Saturday was their 11th consecutive in the format, just one shy of the record streak, held by Afghanistan and Romania.
Sharma also said it was a “great feeling” to become the most-capped player in T20Is. Making his 125th appearance in the format, Sharma surpassed Pakistan veteran Shoaib Malik.
“It’s a great feeling representing your country in 125 T20Is, feels good, look to continue playing for many more years,” Sharma said.
Sharma is also just 18 runs away from becoming the second-fastest player to complete 1,000 T20I runs as captain. He will become the third Indian to achieve the feat, after Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Sanju Samson (w), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan
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Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (w), Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara