India's Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I: Will Ruturaj Gaikwad Find Himself A Place?

After winning the first T20I, Team India faced a 16-run defeat in the second T20I match against Sri Lanka in Pune. The encounter turned out to be a thrilling one as in the chase of 207 runs, Team India slumped to 5 for 57 before Suryakumar Yadav (51) and Axar Patel (65) stitched a 91-run partnership. However, Sri Lanka found their way back into the game and restricted the hosts to 190/8 and registered a victory by 16 runs. For Sri Lanka, skipper Dasun Shanaka became the star of the night with his unbeaten knock of 56 off 22 balls. Apart from him, wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis also hit a 31-ball 52 to power the visitors to an imposing score of 206 for 6.

The Hardik Pandya-led side called-in Rahul Tripathi in the Playing XI for the second T20I after Sanju Samson got ruled out due to an injury. Pacer Arshdeep Singh also came in after he recovered from an injury and replaced Harshal Patel. However, he ended up disappointing all after he bowled a hat-trick of no-balls in the match. It will be interesting to see which player will be benched for the third and final T20I match on Saturday. 

Here's our predicted India XI for the third T20I:

Shubman Gill: The 23-year-old right-hander had been disappointing in the first two matches as he could only manage to get scores of 7 and 5. There are chances that he might get replaced by Ruturaj Gaikwad in the Playing XI for the third T20I. 

Ishan Kishan: The wicketkeeper-batter played a fiery innings of 37 off 29 balls in the first match but fell for 2 runs in the second T20I. Kishan is known for his attacking style and will definitely have a place in the Playing XI.

Suryakumar Yadav: After failing to leave an impact in the first T20I, the Indian vice-captain truly lived up to the expectations of the fans in the second match and scored 51 off 36 balls to take Team India closer to victory. 

Rahul Tripathi: The right-handed batter made his international debut in the second T20I after replacing an injured Sanju Samson in the Playing XI. However, Tripathi failed to leave a mark as he was dismissed for just 5 runs. 

Hardik Pandya: The India skipper failed to shine with the bat in the second T20I but was economical with the ball. He conceded only 13 runs off his 2 overs. 

Deepak Hooda: After playing a blistering knock of 41 not out off 23 balls in the first match, Hooda failed to repeat his heroics in the second T20I. The right-handed batter would be eager to put up another good show. 

Axar Patel: Despite facing a defeat in the second T20I, Indian fans will remember Axar Patel as the hero of the night. The all-rounder not only scalped two wickets but also went on to smash 65 runs off 31 balls, albeit in a losing cause.

Arshdeep Singh: The young India pacer had a forgettable outing in the second T20I, where he registered an unwanted hat-trick of no-balls. Things got worse for him as he went on to bowl two more no-balls in the match. There are chances that he might get replaced by Harshal Patel. 

Shivam Mavi: He made his international debut in the first T20I and impressed all with his figures of 4/22. However, he proved too expensive in the second match as he conceded 53 runs in 4 overs. 

Umran Malik: The Jammu and Kashmir pacer fetched three wickets for India but also conceded 48 runs in 4 overs. 

Yuzvendra Chahal: The veteran leg-spinner scalped one wicket and conceded 30 runs in his four-over spell.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team Ruturaj Gaikwad Arshdeep Singh Dasun Shanaka Axar Patel Suryakumar Yadav Hardik Pandya Cricket