• Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi made debuts for India against Sri Lanka.
• The duo helped India to a two-run win in a last-ball thriller at the Wankhede.
• India and Sri Lanka have already met twice at the MCA Stadium.

India captain Hardik Pandya pledged to support the young players in his revamped squad on the eve of the inaugural T20 International match against Sri Lanka at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. And he did that by giving Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi their debuts. The latter had a spectacular debut, taking 4-22, and he assisted India in winning by two runs in a last-ball thriller.

Mavi, 24, became just the third Indian to record his first four-for on debut by making excellent use of the slow-paced Wankhede surface. Gill, though, was only able to score seven runs, leaving India and Hardik Pandya to handle yet another opening dilemma.

In the second T20 encounter on Thursday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Gill would hope that Pandya will give him another chance.

The top order will need to play better for India, as Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and Sanju Samson all struggled at the Wankhede Stadium and were dismissed while attempting to press the pace against the Sri Lankan slow bowlers.

The team management would be looking for stronger performances from them today as that will enable India grab an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Their shot selection was not up to their typical quality.

While the Indian top order struggled, Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel made outstanding efforts at the back to enable the team score a point that the bowlers could defend.

Pandya served as the team’s captain, and the Indian bowling unit carried out its strategies to keep Sri Lanka to 160 runs in 20 overs. Pune offers the team the chance to correct the faults, even though the final score was too close for comfort.

India managed to scurry home off the penultimate delivery while Sri Lanka needed 13 from the final six balls of the game.

Top-order batting is a problem that Sri Lanka has to address. , Nissanka Pathum. Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa all missed their shots.

Only the outstanding efforts of Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka, who also scored 45, and Chamika Karunaratne, who struck several lusty blows, including a few sixes, could have brought Sri Lanka this close to victory. But in the end, they came agonisingly close; two run outs in the last over meant that the bottom order’s valiant efforts were in vain.

Pune gives both sides a second chance to make up for their errors and determine the outcome of the series.

At the MCA Stadium, the two teams have already faced off twice, in 2016 and 2020. The first encounter was won by Sri Lanka by 5 wickets, and the second match was won by India by 78 runs.

The pitch is anticipated to be a classic MCA pitch, one that is favourable for batting and helps spin bowling.

Squads India (from): Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (v-c), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar.

Sri Lanka (from): Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Kusal Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (v-c), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara and Nuwan Thushara.

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