Gambhir Takes Charge Of A New Era

Indian cricket ushers into a new era with Gautam Gambhir taking charge as the new head coach, while Suryakumar Yadav has been handed the reins of the T20 team.

Gambhir's maiden assignment is not that arduous with India travelling to Sri Lanka for a three-match T20I and ODI series.

Sri Lanka have gone off the boil in the last few years and in the recent T20 World Cup they failed to make it to the Super 8s stage, losing to Bangladesh and South Africa.

Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20 Internationals after the World Cup win last month, continues as captain of the ODI team.

While Suryakumar getting the T20 captaincy ahead of Hardik Pandya is a surprise, the selectors took an even brave call to appoint young Shubman Gill as vice-captain of the ODI and T20I teams.

India boast of a good record against Sri Lanka in T20Is. Out of the 10 T20 series between the two teams, India have won eight series, with Sri Lanka managing just one series victory while one series ended in a 1-1 draw.

The only time India lost to Sri Lanka in a T20I series was during their last trip to the island nation -- exactly three years ago in July 2021.

Overall, India and Sri Lanka have played each other in 29 games, with India winning 19 and Sri Lanka managing nine wins, with one game washed out.

It will take Sri Lanka something special to upset the T20 World champions, who went through the entire T20 World Cup unbeaten in eight games.

If you take out the Zimbabwe series, where India sent a new-look young team, they are unbeaten in their last 12 T20 Internationals. In Zimbabwe too, the Shubman Gill-led India did well to win the series 4-1, bouncing back after a shock defeat in the series opener in Harare.

India's record against Sri Lanka in ODIs is even better. The last time India lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka was nearly 27 years ago, when the hosts won the four-match series 3-0 in August 1997.

India have registered 10 consecutive series wins in a row against Sri Lanka -- a run which started back in 2007.

Interestingly, Sri Lanka had beaten India in the first ever ODI encounter between the two teams at the 1979 Prudential World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester. But India hold a far superior head-to-head record against the Lankans with 99 victories from 168 games against 57 losses, with one tied match and 11 no-result games.

In the coming series too, India are the favourites in both the white ball series and it will take a Herculean effort from Sri Lanka to upset the odds.

Check out the schedule of India's tour of Sri Lanka: