Following their World Cup triumph, India began the next cycle’s preparation with a series whitewash under a newly appointed captain-coach in Pallekele. In the absence of recently retired stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, a rich blend of youth and experienced troops toppled Sri Lanka 3-0 in their backyard with the third T20I being a Super Over win.
The Men in Blue suffered a paradigm shift in leadership and stewardship responsibilities ahead of the bilateral series. Suryakumar Yadav succeeded Rohit as the team’s captain while Gautam Gambhir was appointed the head coach after Rahul Dravid’s departure.
Eyeing the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, a remodeled Indian side ticked major boxes with room for improvement. So, let us dissect how ‘Guru Gambhir’ and Skipper Surya fared in their first international assignment. 
India’s Positives
The tactical shift
Gambhir is always known for his shrewd tactics. His attacking mindset, no-flinch attitude under pressure, and team-first approach are a few of the constituents that make up his coaching style. The Indian contingent traveling to Sri Lanka did reflect such traits during the three-match T20I series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was given the freedom to play his natural game at the top of the order. His scores of 21-ball 40 and 15-ball 30 in the first couple of matches exemplify India’s aggressive intent. Moreover, they piled up 74 runs inside the powerplay in the first game and chased down an 81-run target in 6.3 balls in the second match. The only game where the team failed to go levels above was the dead rubber where India lost four wickets inside the powerplay.
Shubman Gill played the role of an anchorer, who was ready to attack when wickets were in hand. In addition, Riyan Parag, in the middle order, was asked to play his natural game, allowing the team to handle pressure if there were early setbacks.
Yet another approach that the Indian team under Gambhir has been trying to follow is the balance of right and left-handed batters. Throughout the series, they maintained a ratio of 1:1 handedness in the top four of the batting order. Even when Axar Patel, Rishab Pant, and Hardik Pandya were rested in the dead rubber, the addition of Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, and Gill helped Gambhir maintain the parity.
Reigniting the part-timer’s role
Back in the 1990s and 2000s, India fancied the luxury of having batters who could bowl. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Prabhakar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh, among others were exceptional when it came to rolling the arm, as per the conditions. Under coach Gambhir, the new Indian setup seems to be rekindling the same old structure where batters could turn a game on its head with the ball.
Parag taking a three-fer in the first T20I, and Rinku Singh and Suryakumar bagging a couple of wickets to enforce a Super Over win in the third T20I are a few examples to cite from the series. Sri Lanka were 129/4 in 18 overs with Kusal Perera settled at 46 when surprisingly Rinku was summoned to bowl the all-important 19th over. If this move looked astonishing, then the outcome of the over would seem even more surprising.
The Uttar Pradesh-bred, who hardly bowled in the domestic circuit conceded just three runs and picked a couple of crucial scalps to reduce the equation to six needed off the last over. With an over left of Mohammed Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed each, captain Surya opted to write his script; not with the bat, but with the ball. The 33-year-old conceded no run halfway through the over with a couple of wickets – maiden scalps in his international career. Although the Lankan tail wagged around fetching five runs, India had the final laugh in the Super Over, enforcing a series whitewash under captain Suryakumar and coach Gambhir.
Opportunity for all
One of the many positives from the Gambhir and Surya era is the opportunities that the players received in the T20I series. Each member of the squad got a chance to showcase what they possess in the international strata. Winning the first couple of matches early made the job easier for the management to offer chances to Khaleel, Dube, and Sundar who were benched in the first two matches.
Someone like Shubman Gill missed out on the second T20I and Sanju Samson was called up to bat at his desired top-order position. Rishab Pant was utilized as a middle-order batter rather than using him as a finisher as the management did a couple of years back. Also, Rinku was promoted to No. 4 in the final T20I of the series after he failed to gleam lower down the order in the first game. With plenty of balls in hand, it served as a morale booster to players during a lean patch.
Areas of Concern
Lack of new ball threat
One of the primary concerns under the Gambhir and Suryakumar duel is the lackluster new ball attack. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj failed to draw early blood in the home camp on multiple occasions. India could pick up just one wicket inside 18 overs of powerplay across the three T20Is. Mohammed Siraj was a huge flop, getting a solo wicket in three games. Khaleel Ahmed got an opportunity to bowl three overs in the last T20I and ended up leaking seven wides.
The Sri Lankan team’s score before the fall of the second wicket reads 140, 80, and 110 in the three T20Is. The spinners carried the Champions’ bowling attack throughout the bilateral affair and there’s plenty to think about the pace department handling the new ball duties.
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