India vs Sri Lanka 2021: 2nd T20I match players list & umpires

Off-the-field activities continue to dominate proceedings as a COVID-affected Indian team managed to put out 11 players to take on Sri Lanka in the second T20I at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday (July 28).

Absolutely nothing seemed to be going India’s way as skipper Shikhar Dhawan lost his fourth toss and the visitors were put into bat on what looks like another sluggish wicket. Eight players, including the COVID-positive Krunal Pandya, are undergoing room quarantine, meaning the Rahul Dravid-led management handed out T20 caps to four players.

Openers Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-rounder Nitish Rana and left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya are making their T20 debuts. While Rana and Sakariya already played their maiden game for India in the last ODI, Padikkal and Gaikwad will be representing the senior India side for the very first time.

Dhawan and Gaikwad are likely to give India a left-right combination at the top of the order, while Padikkal will probably come in next. India have gone with a bowling-heavy side comprising three spinners and as many seamers.

This also means the close contacts of Krunal Pandya are – Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey and Krishnappa Gowtham.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have made two changes to their line-up which lost by 38 runs in the opening game. Ashen Bandara makes way for debutant Ramesh Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama replaces the injured Charith Asalanka.

India vs Sri Lanka – 2nd T20 playing 11

India playing 11: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (wk), Nitish Rana, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya

India squad: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Krishnappa Gowtham, Nitish Rana, Navdeep Saini, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakravarthy, Devdutt Padikkal, Chetan Sakariya

Sri Lanka playing 11: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka (c), Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera

Sri Lanka squad: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Ishan Jayaratne , Ramesh Mendis, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Lakshan Sandakan, Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Shiran Fernando, Binura Fernando