After having a successful 2019, India National cricket team will start the new year with home series. Sri Lanka team has arrived in India to play the three-match T20I series. On Sunday (5th January), the two teams will play the first T20I match of the series.
Date: 5/01/2020
Venue: Barsapara Cricket Ground, Guwahati
Jasprit Bumrah back in the squad
After four months break, Jasprit Bumrah will be seen with the Indian team. Bumrah last played a Test against West Indies when India toured the Caribbean. Ahead of the home Test series against South Africa, he was ruled out because of stress fracture at the lower back.
Deepak Chahar is also out of the action because of the stress fracture, which has given a chance to Navdeep Saini. Also, Rohit Sharma has taken rest and will not be part of this T20I series. Shikhar Dhawan is also back after recovering from the injury which he suffered while playing the match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Sri Lanka would start the year on a positive note
Last year, Sri Lanka showed poor performance in all the formats. In 2019, the Islanders played 13 T20I matches and won four games, and one resulted in the tie. Sri Lanka team can be said under the transition period as experienced have retired. The T20I captain Lasith Malinga has the burden to take forward the young team. They will try to start the new year into a positive note.
Head To Head
| Team | Total matches | Win | Loss | Tie/no result |
| India | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Sri Lanka | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
Weather forecast
The first T20I match at Guwahati may face difficulty in smooth running as rain can interrupt the game.
Pitch Condition:
India’s Predicted XI
| Players | Role |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Opening Batsman |
| KL Rahul | Opening Batsman |
| Virat Kohli (c) | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| Rishabh Pant | Wk-batsman |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| Shardul Thakur | Bowler |
| Navdeep Saini | Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
Sri Lanka’s Predicted XI
| Players | Role |
| Kusal Perera(WK) | Opening Batsman |
| Kusal Mendis | Opening Batsman |
| Niroshan Dickwella | Batsman |
| Avishka Fernando | Batsman |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | Batsman |
| Oshada Fernando | All-rounder |
| Angelo Mathews | All-rounder |
| Lakshan Sandakan | Bowler |
| Lasith Malinga(C) | Bowler |
| Lahiru Kumara | Bowler |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Bowler |
Match Prediction
The Indian team has been dominant in T20Is against Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue are currently in the good sink and have performed very well in the shortest format while Sri Lanka has to always struggle against Indian. Especially to defeat the Indian team in the home ground is a tough task.
Where To Watch
TV – Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD
Online– Hotstar
Time– 7 PM IST