Why are Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube missing the first T20I between Sri Lanka and India in 2024?

In the opening T20I of the three-match series, Team India (IND) takes against the hosts Sri Lanka (SL) on Saturday, July 27 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka, made the right decision to bowl first at the toss. Although Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara, who have already been ruled out of the series for various reasons, are not in the playing XI, the hosts have made no other significant changes.

However, India’s starting XI had undergone considerable modifications when they joined the fight. They benched all-rounder Shivam Dube and wicketkeeper-battler Sanju Samson.

Little Riyan Parag was given the go-ahead ahead of Dube for the middle-order position, while skipper Suryakumar Yadav chose Rishabh Pant to take the gloves despite not providing an explanation for the omission. Samson and Dube both played in the recent series against Zimbabwe in addition to being a part of India’s victorious squad for the T20 World Cup last month.

It’s okay to bat first because the pitch appears to be in decent condition. Cricket’s brand is still the same. It’s unique that Gambhir and I have been together for so long. The four players that will not be playing are Washington (Sundar), Khaleel (Ahmed), Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube. At the toss, Yadav remarked, “That (the World Cup) is history, we start from scratch, and it is a new challenge.”

With fresh tactics and players assigned duties to achieve desired outcomes, the Sri Lankan captain appeared upbeat about his team’s prospects.

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“First up, we’re going to bowl. We’d like to watch how this idea works out because it seems very good. The lineup that we have decided on is 6-5 (batters-bowlers). We will be using five bowlers because I want to provide each participant a unique role. Asalanka stated at the coin toss, “You can anticipate more victories and more consistency.”

India (Playing XI):  Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Riyan Parag, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka (Playing XI):  Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka