New head coach Gautam Gambhir and T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav enjoyed a winning start as India secured a 43-run victory over hosts Sri Lanka to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 series on Saturday.
With batting stalwart Virat Kohli, Tests and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja quitting T20 internationals after India’s T20 World Cup triumph last month, Yashasvi Jaiswal and new T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill opened the innings for the visitors in Pallekele.
Put into bat after Sri Lanka won the toss, India got off to a lightning start in the powerplay with a 74-run opening stand between Jaiswal (40) and Gill (34), but lost the pair as Dilshan Madushanka and Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets in two balls.
Suryakumar (58), who was appointed India’s T20 captain last week ahead of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, led from the front, notching his 20th T20 fifty in just 22 deliveries before being trapped lbw by pacer Matheesha Pathirana.
Pathirana then struck in quick succession to dismiss Pandya (9) and Riyan Parag (7) with a searing yorker and lbw, respectively.