IND vs SL: 3 players who might be benched throughout the T20I series

India are ready to lock horns with Sri Lanka for a white-ball series, starting with the T20Is on Tuesday, January 3. Rohit Sharma will not feature in the shortest format and in his absence, Hardik Pandya will lead the side with Suryakumar Yadav acting as his deputy.

India have selected a 16-member squad for the three-match T20I series. Each player in the team has shown their prowess on the cricket field and has the potential to thrive against the Asia Cup champions. However, it is not certain that the team management will be able to give opportunities to each player present in the team and a few of the cricketers might not get even a single game.

Here are three Players who might be benched throughout the T20I series against Sri Lanka

3. Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi has been a bankable name in the Indian domestic circuit. In List-A cricket, he has bagged 59 wickets in 36 matches at an economy of 4.85. The Noida-born has done a decent job in the Indian Premier League, taking 30 wickets in 32 games at an economy of 8.71.

Mavi has been in a rich vein of form of late. In the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022, he wreaked havoc with the ball and took 14 wickets in seven games at an economy of 4.15. Courtesy of his stellar showings, the ace pacer has received a maiden international call-up for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

However, the Uttar Pradesh pacer’s chances of making it to the playing XI are quite grim as India also have the services of Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, and Umran Malik. Given these players have proven their mettle in the international arena, they will certainly be higher in the pecking order. 

If there are injury concerns, the team management could ponder over adding Mukesh Kumar to the XI. The Bengal pacer was part of India’s squad that faced South Africa for a three-match ODI series prior to the T20 World Cup 2022 but could not get a chance. Thus, Mukesh might get a nod over Mavi in the forthcoming T20I series.