Team India is going to have a new year and a new beginning. The Indian cricket team is starting the 3-match T20 series against Sri Lanka under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya from today i.e. January 3, 2023. The first match of the series will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In the new year, India will start without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in T20 cricket. Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik are also unlikely to be a part of the T20 team. It is clearly being known that the BCCI is moving ahead with the preparations for the next T20 World Cup in 2024.
Hardik Pandya won the T20 series against New Zealand 1-0 last year. In such a situation, the captain will try to win again in the new year. The captain of Gujarat Titans can go with Ishaan Kishan and Rituraj Gaikwad in the opening. World No. 1 T20 batsman Suryakumar Yadav will return to the middle order along with his captain Pandya. However, it will be interesting to see who fits in between Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in the middle order.
India is looking at Sanju Samson and Ishaan Kishan as wicketkeeping options in T20 cricket. In the bowling department, Yuzvendra Chahal will be back in action with Axar Patel as the spinner, while Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel are expected to spearhead the series.
How is the mood of the Wankhede pitch
The pitch at Wankhede Stadium is a red clay pitch and gives decent bounce in white ball games. This will give the batsmen an opportunity to trust the bounce and go for their shots. Quick swing can also happen due to sea breeze. Wankhede has short boundaries, which will help in scoring big. It is preferred to bat later on this track. After winning the toss, the captain would like to bowl first. Big hitters like Ishan Kishan and Kusal Mendis will enjoy batting at Wankhede.
The match will start at 7:00 pm Indian time. According to the report of the Meteorological Department, there is no possibility of rain in the match. The conditions are ideal for cricket and there will be no rain all day. However, it will be quite humid as the humidity level is reported to exceed 60% in the evening.
When, where and how to watch India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20 match
The first T20 match of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming can be seen on Disney+Hotstar app and website.
