India vs Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma-led India look to continue dominance with focus on more experiments in T20Is

India vs Sri Lanka: The absence of established names, including Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, gives Rohit Sharma and the team management to test their bench strength in the 3-match T20I series against the islanders.

India will look to find a fine balance between being ruthless and giving opportunities to test the bench strength when they take on Sri Lanka in a 3-match T20I series from February 24. The two teams will meet in the first of the 3 T20Is on Thursday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.

India have the licence to make good use of the bench strength and firm up personnel for the T20 World Cup as they're mining a few key players for the T20I series. While former skipper Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant have been rested, India will miss the services of in-form Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Deepak Chahar due to injury concerns.

Both skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid have stressed that India are well aware of what they are looking for in the lead up to the T20 World Cup and that the team will continue to back the players with clear roles and expectations en route.

"We have got a pretty fair idea of the kind of skills we're looking for in Australia, with the kind of guys who are in running. Not everything is set in stone but we want to give everyone a fair chance to stake their claim for those spots," Dravid had said after India clean-swept West Indies 3-0 earlier this week.

The increase in the number of claimants in the lead up to the World Cup will only be constructive for Team India. Captain Rohit backed Sanju Samson, who is making a return to the T20I squad for the first time since July 2021, saying he is India's World Cup plan. It was interesting to see Rohit talk about Samson's backfoot game and how it might be useful in Australian conditions as it gives a sneak peek into the clarity with which the team management is considering its options.

Suryakumar Yadav's absence in the middle order certainly gives Samson an opportunity to stake his claim after all those missed chances in the past. In the absence of Pant, it might be Samson who will take the gloves. It remains to be seen if India persist with Ishan Kishan at the top or give the struggling wicketkeeper-batter a role in the middle order.

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