IND vs SL: India has initiated the Gambhir era, as they are about to play the second T20I against the hosts at Pallekele. The match was initially delayed due to rain, but the weather turned clear when Suryakumar Yadav and Charith Asalanka stepped onto the field for a toss.
The Indian captain won the toss and elected to bowl against the Lankan side. India already has a 1-0 lead over the hosts. During the toss, Surya mentioned about Shubman Gill missing the 2nd T20I due to a back spasm. He also talked about Sanju Samson being included as the replacement for the India opener.
Sanju Samson was last seen playing a T20 international game in the final match of the Zimbabwe tour, where he was the sole best batter, scoring his second international T20 fifty. He was also a part of India’s World Cup-winning squad in the United States and West Indies, though he did not get a game.
Gill, on the other hand, faced a T20 World Cup snub after having a disappointing run over the past few months in the shortest format of the game. However, Gill seemed to have a change of gears when he batted in the First T20I against Sri Lanka, as under new coach Gambhir’s first game he scored a stunning 30 off 14 balls.
Samson did not get a chance to be in the starting XI for the Indian side once again, as Rishabh Pant was prioritized over Sanju as the wicketkeeper-batsman. He missed on the starting XI of the first T20I and didn’t seem much of a chance to feature for India this time as well. With only Gill and Jaiswal on the side, Gambhir relied only on the two youngsters for the opening role.
Samson had a stunning IPL season; for the first time in his career, he scored a stunning 531 runs as he led the Rajasthan Royals to the knockouts once again. Samson has been picked by Gambhir for the second T20I, though his place in the batting order will be a unique matter to see, as India will likely see him in an opening role.
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IND vs. SL 2nd T20I Playing XI: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, and Md. Siraj.
