IND vs SL 1st T20I: Indian Cricket team on Tuesday kicked off their 2023 year with a T20I match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. The Indian team handed T20I debut caps to two young players Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi. Meanwhile, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh has not been included in the opening match.
Walking at the toss, India's stand-in captain Hardik Pandya stated, "Excited to see how this new group of guys express themselves. Anyone who comes to the team we will make sure we'll give them confidence. Two debutants today - Gill and Mavi. Arshdeep was not available," Pandya said. Meanwhile, BCCI has released a statement on the reason why Arshdeep was not available for selection. "Note - Arshdeep Singh wasn't available for selection for the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka since he has still not fully recovered from his illness," BCCI wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, Shivam Mavi and Shubman Gill have made their T20I debuts for India. Mavi received the cap from captain Hardik Pandya, while Gill got his T20I cap from Suryakumar Yadav. Mavi has made his Indian debut as he had earlier not featured in any of the ODIs or Test matches for India. Mavi has been signed by defending champions and Pandya's Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2023 for INR 6 Cr. Gill has earlier featured for India in Tests and ODIs. In 15 ODIs, Gill has scored 687 runs, while in 13 T20Is, he has amassed 736 runs. BCCI shared the picture of the players getting their caps. India also cross the 100-player mark in T20Is as 99 players had earlier represented the Men in Blue in the shortest format.
India's Playing XI:
Ishan Kishan(w), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal
Sri Lanka's Playing XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushank.
