COLOMBO: Sri Lanka named all-rounder Charith Asalanka as captain of their Twenty20 side on Tuesday ahead of a three-match series against world champions India starting this weekend.

The 27-year-old replaces Wanindu Hasaranga, who stepped down as skipper in the shortest format after Sri Lanka failed to make the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup in the U.S. and West Indies last month.

Sri Lanka and India will play three T20s in Pallekele from Saturday before meeting in three One-day Internationals.

Kusal Mendis leads Sri Lanka’s ODI side while Dhananjaya de Silva is the test captain. De Silva and veteran Angelo Mathews were not included in the 16-man T20 squad but there was a place for Hasaranga. India will also have a new captain in Surya­kumar Yadav, who took charge of the T20 team after the retirement of Rohit Sharma following their triumphant World Cup campaign.

Squad: Charith Asal­anka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chand­imal, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Math­eesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024