Angelo Mathews Returns To Sri Lanka Side For India T20Is, Lasith Malinga To Lead

Angelo Mathews is all set to make a comeback in Twenty20 Internationals after a period of sixteen months after he was included in the Sri Lanka side for the three-match Twenty20 International series against India starting on January 5 in Guwahati. Mathews, who last played a Twenty20 International in August 2018 against South Africa at the R Premadasa stadium, has been plagued by injuries in the last couple of years and that has primarily seen him develop into a batsman and less of a bowler.

Mathews has not played any form of Twenty20s since the game against South Africa in which he was dismissed for a duck. The 32-year-old will be part of seven specialist batsmen included in the squad which sees no Nuwan Pradeep and will be led by Lasith Malinga. Pradeep is out injured and has been replaced by Kasun Rajitha, who had originally been left out of the squad. Shehan Jayasuriya misses out from that squad, and allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva is the other addition apart from Mathews.

India and Sri Lanka have clashed eight times in India with the hosts winning six and Sri Lanka winning two. Their first win came in Nagpur in 2009 when the visitors won by 29 runs while their next win came on a seaming wicket in Pune by five wickets. Overall, India hold a 11-5 advantage over Sri Lanka in Twenty20 Internationals with India winning eight out of their last 10 encounters against Sri Lanka.

In the last series in India which was held in 2017, India whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 as they registered comprehensive wins. The first match in Cuttack was won by 93 runs with Yuzvendra Chahal taking 4/23. Rohit Sharma equalled David Miller's mark of the fastest centuy in Twenty20 Internationals as he blasted a ton off 35 balls in Indore to help India win by 88 runs while in the final match in Mumbai, India completed the whitewash with a five-wicket win at the Wankhede stadium.

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Squad

Lasith Malinga (capt.), Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha

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