3 player battles to watch out for in IND vs SL 1st T20I

A new-look Team India are likely to start their rebuild for the 2024 T20 World Cup with the T20I series against Sri Lanka beginning on Tuesday, January 3. The first of the three matches will be played at the Wankhede Stadium and it promises to be an absolute run-fest.

There have been some fantastic encounters between the two teams, especially in the shortest format. Sri Lanka knocked India out of the Asia Cup last year and the Men in Blue will certainly want to avenge that defeat. They will also be keen to play with a fresh brand of cricket after the criticism they received post their T20 World Cup exit.

It will certainly not be easy as there are some explosive batters as well as world-class bowlers in the visitors' ranks. Some match-ups whose results could declare the outcome of the game. Here are three such match-ups to watch out for on Tuesday:

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#3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa vs. Yuzvendra Chahal

Indian fans need no introduction to Bhanuka Rajapaksa as the southpaw has already shown what he is capable of in the IPL 2022 season. He believes in the counter-attack and likes to hit through the line, making Wankhede's pitch absolutely ideal for his strokeplay.

While he is at the crease, Hardik Pandya may refrain from using a left-arm spinner and this is where the wrist spin of Yuzvendra Chahal will be crucial. Although Rajapaksa has scored 14 runs off the nine balls that he has faced against Chahal in T20s, he has also been dismissed once. This could turn out to be quite an intriguing match-up, especially if the time in the game comes when Rajapaksa has to cut loose.

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#2 Suryakumar Yadav vs. Maheesh Theekshana

Maheesh Theekshana has been the ideal spin twin for Wanindu Hasaranga in T20Is. While he bowls predominantly in the powerplay, Theekshana is also used in the middle-overs to keep a check on the flow of runs or to break the partnership. He has the ability to create pressure and could be a handy weapon against Suryakumar Yadav.

SKY has scored 18 runs in 15 balls that he faced against Theekshana in T20s and is yet to be dismissed. While this is a pretty small sample size, it is enough to show that Yadav perhaps hasn't quite found Theekshana's measure yet.

If an early wicket falls and Suryakumar walks in at No.3 with Theekshana bowling in the powerplay, it would certainly be a battle worth watching.

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#1 Sanju Samson vs. Wanindu Hasaranga

Arguably the battle that everyone is looking forward to is that between Sanju Samson and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. Be it international cricket or in the IPL, Hasaranga seems to have always found the measure of Samson.

In the 34 balls that Samson faced against Hasaranga, he has scored just 24 runs and has been dismissed a staggering six times. This match-up will definitely be playing in his mind and that could give the spinner the psychological edge. It will be interesting to see how Samson tackles Hasaranga.