India v Sri Lanka: They will eye a five-star show

Sanju SamsonSanju Samson has been in and out of the team since making his T20I debut in 2015 He was included in the T20 World Cup squad but wasnt part of the playing XI in any encounter However he will be motivated after scoring 58 in his last and fifth T20I against Zimbabwe Earlier this year the Rajasthan Royals skipper impressed one and all by scoring 531 runs in 16 IPL17 matches to end up as the tournamentrsquos fifthhighest runscorer The wicketkeeperbatter will be eager to put up a solid show and impress national selectorsRinku SinghRinku SinghCritics felt Rinku Singh who is rated as one of the best finishers deserved a place in the playing XI during the recentlyconcluded T20 World Cup but the lefthand batter wasnt even included in the 15member squad His poor show in IPLmdash168 runs in 15 matches at a poor average of 1866mdashcould be one of the reasons He was out for a duck in the opening match of the recentlyconcluded T20I series against Zimbabwe but scored an unbeaten 48 1 not out and an unbeaten 11 in his next three innings He now has an opportunity to impress the new head coach and his former Kolkata Knight Ridersrsquos mentor Gautam Gambhir with his fearless approachRiyan ParagRiyan ParagMiddleorder batter Riyan Parags selection has been in question after being in poor form in the fivematch T20I series against Zimbabwe The allrounder has been picked in bothmdashT20Is and ODIsmdashagainst Sri Lanka He had a belowpar show against Zimbabwe managing just 24 runs in three T20Is at a poor strikerate of 8888 But the selectors might have felt like giving him another go seeing his IPL17 show earlier this year where he finished as the tournamentrsquos thirdhighest runscorer with 573 runs in 14 innings He will be desperate to prove the critics wrong by putting up a superb show against the island nationKhaleel AhmedKhaleel AhmedLeftarm pacer Khaleel Ahmed was added as a substitute in the T20 World Cup squad based on his IPL17 performance but was able to make it to the playing XI after five years during the T20I against Zimbabwe earlier this month He claimed three wickets in three games at a decent economy rate of 681 The pacer claimed 17 wickets in 14 matches for Delhi Capitals at an economy rate of 958 The 26yearold will have to slog it out in the T20Is to impress the national selectorsRavi BishnoiRavi BishnoiLegspinner Ravi Bishnoi was ranked the No 1 T20I bowler days after winning the Player of the Match award in the home T20I series against Australia last December However it was surprising to see him not make it in the playing XI in an away T20I series against South Africa The tweaker looked out of form in home T20Is against Afghanistan claiming just two wickets in three games at s poor economy rate of 1018 His average IPL formmdash10 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 877mdashdidnt help him too The leggie claimed four and two wickets respectively in the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe earlier this month but went wickets in the next three games against the hosts The 23yearold will look to make the most of the opportunities he receives against Lanka