Sri Lanka Cricket announce 25-member squad for India series

Four uncapped players in Lahiru Udara, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, Kasun Rajitha, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have been added to the squad.

The Sri Lanka National Cricket Selectors have named a 25-member squad for the upcoming limited-overs series against India, which gets underway with the first ODI in Colombo on July 18. Dasun Shanaka is set to be named the team’s limited-overs captain. He will be replacing Kusal Perera, who was handed the role in May this year.

Shanaka will be the sixth captain for the team in less than four years, with Sri Lanka led by Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Dimuth Karunaratne and Perera since 2018.

He led Sri Lanka during their T20I series win over Pakistan in 2019, and his recent form makes his case stronger for the role. The explosive batter was selected for Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies, however, a visa issue meant that he failed to participate. Meanwhile, Dhananjaya de Silva is set to be Shanaka’s deputy, and he will be in a leadership capacity for the first time. 

Sri Lanka is coming into this series on the back of two recent clean sweeps against England in the away series. They lost the three-match T20I series 0-3, followed by a 0-2 loss in the ODIs, with the last game washed out due to rain. Sri Lanka cricket has been under a severe mess in the recent past, with their off-field actions keeping them under the spotlight.

During their recent tour, vice-captain Kusal Mendis, wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella and batsman Danushka Gunathilaka were video-filmed in a marketplace late at night. Their bio-bubble breach led SLC to suspend them from the tour and fly back home, while a five-member committee has been appointed to investigate the matter.

The team, meanwhile, has already been at loggerheads with the board over an issue in their annual contract and has been signing contracts for each tour separately as the annual Player’s Contract term ended last October. For the series against India, 29 members have signed the Tours Contract, with Angelo Mathews pulling out citing personal reasons. 

Sri Lanka squad for India series

Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Dhananjaya De Silva (Vice Captain), Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dhananjaya, Shiran Fernando,Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrema, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana, Kusal Perera & Binura Fernando (both ruled out)