New Delhi: After scripting a historic clean sweep Down Under, MS Dhoni's and his boys face Dinesh Chandimal's Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series starting Tuesday. (India vs Sri Lanka 2016: Full Coverage)
The first of the three encounters will be played at Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
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Virat Kohli has been rested by the team management for the series, keeping in mind the hectic T20 cricket schedule ahead.
For the visitors, Tillakaratne Dilshan was on Friday ruled out of the 1st T20 due to a hand injury.
The Indians will go in to the series as clear favorites not just because of home advantage but also as all their key players are in great form.
The three matches offer an ideal opportunity for players like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina to get back into their groove ahead of Asia Cup and the all-important ICC World T20.
The Lankans will be looking to bounce back after their T20 series defeat in New Zealand.
Despite being world champions in this format, the islanders have struggled in T20 cricket of late.
They failed to win the series against the West Indies and were beaten by Pakistan.
For Indian fans, the series also gives a chance to have a look at their team's bowling attack.
Spinners, considered India's main weapon, will once again be expected to play a key role against Sri Lanka.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pawan Negi
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c & wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Milinda Siriwardana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedera, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilhara Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Binura Fernando, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeffrey Vandersay, Niroshan Dickwella
Date: February 9, Tuesday
Time: 19:30 IST
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
TV listing: Star Sports 1, 3, HD1 & HD3
Live streaming: Star Sports website, Hotstar
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