India v Sri Lanka: Sanju Samson named captain of Board President XI

Young wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson has been appointed as the captain of the Board President XI side for the upcoming warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka. Samson has reportedly replaced veteran cricketer Naman Ojha as the leader of the team. The Board President XI will take on the visiting Sri Lankan team in a two-day warm up match commencing on November 11. The first Test will be played at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Sri Lanka are scheduled to arrive on the Indian soil for a full tour this winter with the Test series commencing on November 16. In the 12-man squad for the Board President XI, many youngster have been rewarded with a call up. In-form Punjab batsman Anmolpreet Singh, who already has two centuries this season with a top score of 267, has been named as the replacement of Naman Ojha.

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Narendra Hirwani has been assigned the task of being the head coach of the side. Among the other notable players in the side, Jalaj Saxena stands out as a prominent name. Young pace bowler, Avesh Khan, who was seen plying his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL this year, is also in the 12-man squad.

Commenting on the series, team India will start the series as the firm favorites. India had whitewashed the Sri Lankan side earlier this season in the reverse fixtures in all the three formats of the game. However, the Sri Lankan team will still be confident of putting up an improved show this time around. They won the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE after having lost the Test series against India at home.

Board President XI Squad:

Sanju Samson (c), Abhishek Gupta, Akash Bhandari, Avesh Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Jiwanjot Singh, Ravi Kiran, Rohan Prem, B Sandeep, Tanmay Agarwal, Sandeep Warrier, Anmolpreet Singh.