Asalanka's rise and Chandimal's revival: Sri Lanka's T20I future brightens

A visual from the spot

^{New Delhi: Sri Lanka has announced their 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International (T20I) series against India, starting July 27, with Charith Asalanka named as the new captain.}

^{Asalanka takes over from Wanindu Hasaranga, who stepped down earlier this month after a six-month tenure.}

^{This isn't Asalanka's first experience with captaincy, having led Sri Lanka in two T20Is against Bangladesh when Hasaranga was suspended, as well as guiding the Sri Lanka Under-19 team and Jaffna Kings to the Lanka Premier League(LPL) title.}

^{The squad also sees the return of 34-year-old Dinesh Chandimal, who last played a T20I in early 2022. his impressive form in the LPL, scoring 287 runs across eight matches at a strike rate of 168.82, far exceeding his career strike rate of 123.03, earned him a recall.}

^{Angelo Mathews has been left out of the squad. Uncapped 21-year-old all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe has been included in the T20I series.} 

^{Wickramasinghe, who has been training at the MRF Pace Academy in India, impressed selectors with his standout performance in the recent LPL campaign Despite going unsold in the auction, he was signed by the Dambulla franchise, taking seven wickets and scoring 186 runs at a strike rate of 131.91, including two crucial fifties.}

^{The squad also sees the return of Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, and Binura Fernando, who replaces Dilshan Madushanka. his omission may raise eyebrows, given his 21 wickets in the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup, but he did not feature in the Men's T2OI World Cup in LPL, he had two wickets in six matches.}

^{Whereas Binura Fernando took 13 wickets over six games at an economy rate of 6.81.}

^{Two more players who have made a strong case for themselves following impressive performances in the LPL are Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando.}

^{Perera, like Wickramasinghe, was initially overlooked in the auction but later joined the Dambulla franchise, capitalizing on a second chance after being surprisingly left out of Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup squad.}

^{He seized the opportunity, amassing 296 runs across eight games at a remarkable strike rate of 169.14, including two half-centuries and a maiden T20 century, all from the top of the order. (with Agency inputs)}