PALLEKELE (SRI LANKA): The Indian men's cricket team, under new head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, arrived in Sri Lanka to a warm welcome. The recently-crowned T20 world champions mingled playfully with fans, providing them with some precious moments.
The 15-member India team, along with the support staff, left Mumbai on Monday following a pre-departure press conference addressed by Gambhir, who succeeded Rahul Dravid as the national coach, and BCCI's chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. They arrived in Pallekele the same day after a short layover in Colombo.
India is set to play a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, who are yet to announce their squad. The Suryakumar-led side will play the first T20I on July 27, followed by matches on July 28 and 30. The team will then travel to Colombo to play three One-Day Internationals scheduled for August 2, 4, and 7.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a short video on 'X', showing the players enjoying their journey from Mumbai to Pallekele via Colombo. "TeamIndia have reached Sri Lanka," wrote BCCI.
The squad features several youngsters, with Shubman Gill serving as the vice-captain. Notable absentees include stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, who announced their retirement from T20Is following India's title triumph in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Suryakumar Yadav was appointed the new T20 captain last week, taking over from all-rounder Hardik Pandya due to fitness considerations and feedback from the team management. The team also includes experienced players such as Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, and pacers Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.