Surya, Gambhir take charge as India face Sri Lanka in 1st T20I

Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav

At first glance, this is a T20I series with not too much at stake, but first glances can often be deceptive.

The next T20 World Cup is a fair distance away - in India in 2026 - and it might be too premature to begin preparations for that competition in right earnest, but the three-match showdown against Sri Lanka, beginning on Saturday, is massively significant in numerous ways.

The changing of the guard in the Indian landscape will become official here when Suryakumar Yadav strides out for the toss with Charith Asalanka, also the national captain in his own right for the first time. Suryakumar inherits a celebrated legacy from his Mumbai colleague Rohit Sharma, retired from T20Is after leading the team to the World Cup title last month. He also links up with his former captain at Kolkata Knight Riders, Gautam Gambhir, who has stepped into the giant head coach shoes of Rahul Dravid.

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Much of the focus since his confirmation as head coach on July 9 has been on the former opener, but Gambhir is smart enough to understand that his job isn't to hog the limelight, but to operate behind the scenes and provide the ideal environment in which his young charges can flourish. He is contemporary, having played competitively until December 2018, and brings a wealth of backroom experience though he has never previously been pigeonholed as a coach.

India are coming off a 4-1 defeat of Zimbabwe away in Shubman Gill's first outing as skipper, and several in that squad have been rewarded with national recalls into a full side. The likes of Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar, among others, will seek to stake their claims further, while in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, two of India's star performers at the World Cup, the onus will be on Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Ravi Bishnoi to do the running.

Sri Lanka failed to advance beyond the first stage at the World Cup and are also in the rebuilding process. After plenty of chopping and changing, the Upul Tharanga-led selection panel has reposed captaincy faith in Asalanka, who has led the national U-19 team and only last Sunday masterminded Jaffna Kings' march to the Lanka Premier League title.