India are up against Sri Lanka in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy 2018 Twenty20 Tri-series on Tuesday. With regular captain Virat Kohli rested, Rohit Sharma will lead the team. The side, without skipper Virat Kohli and the veteran MS Dhoni, gives a chance to youngsters to shine and carve a niche for themselves. India have faced Sri Lanka in 18 international matches this season (6 Tests, 8 ODIs and 4 T20 Internationals) on home and away basis. Bangladesh is the third team in this series and though the sprightly bunch is known to add excitement, the series itself is not exactly an anticipated event after a rather exhausting trip to South Africa. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who has just two T20 international appearances, and pacer Mohammed Siraj, 23, have being given the opportunity to gain international experience. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounder Hardik Pandya too have been rested while Deepak Hooda and Washington Sundar earned a call-up to the Indian side. Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar has also been included in the India squad.
The tournament has been organised in order to mark the 70th anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence. The matches will be played under lights at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The tournament, Nidahas Trophy, will follow a round-robin format with all the three teams playing each other twice, and the top two progressing to the March 18 final.
When and Where to watch: India (IND) vs Sri Lanka (SL)
(IND) Vs (SL) is scheduled for a 7 PM IST (01:30 PM GMT) start. Live Streaming and TV information for the match can be found below.
India: DSport, DD Sports
Bangladesh: Gazi TV (GTV)
Sri Lanka: SLRC
South Africa: SuperSport
USA: Willow TV
UK: Sky Sports
Canada: ATN Cricket Plus HD
MENA: OSN Sports Cricket HD
India vs Sri Lanka, Live 1st T20I
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The T20I Tri-Series is all set to kick off with Sri Lanka hosting India in the opener at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. The visitors are coming on the back of a T20I series victory against the Proteas away from home and will look to continue from where they left, but just this time without their big match players. Even in their absence, the Indians look strong on paper. Rohit Sharma, the stand-in captain, will look to get in some form after a disappointing time against South Africa. It will be interesting to see what combination does he opt for with some of the new faces in the squad. Suresh Raina will also look to cement his spot with this opportunity. On the other hand, the hosts will look to get on the nerves of what is not such a star-studded Indian side. They did receive a major setback as their main man, Angelo Mathews, is not fit enough to be a part of this series too. However, Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal have recovered from their injuries and would be raring to go at the visitors. Kusal Mendis seems to be in sublime touch and will look to continue his good form coming into this series. Both teams would want to start off with a win to their name, so let's see which team gets the better of the other.
