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Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bowl against India in the first T20I of the three-match series here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Having won the ODI series 2-1, the Dhawan-led side under the guidance of head coach Rahul Dravid will look to win the T20I series as well. Having missed out on series against Australia and England, spinner Varun Chakravarthy has finally been handed an India cap and is now making his debut in T20 international cricket. Along with Chakravarthy, Prithvi Shaw is also making his T20I debut. At the time of the toss, Shanaka said: "We are going to bowl first. I think the wicket will play better in the latter part of the game. We can't control the injuries and it can change the momentum as well. These three games are very important for us and we have got two debutants." On the other hand, Dhawan said: "We would have bowled first as well, there's dampness in the pitch. It's about giving a chance to new players and how they can make an impact in the World Cup. We've got lots of changes, two debutants in Prithvi Shaw and Varun." Avishka Fernando (76) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (65) had smashed their respective fifties to ensure Sri Lanka did not lose the final ODI despite a late wobble. However, despite this loss, India won the series 2-1. India playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy. Sri Lanka playing XI: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Ashen Bandara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera. (ANI)
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