India, Sri Lanka Start T20 World Cup Prep

DEC.21 (Mirror Sports) - Sri Lanka will field a youthful side as they take on India in the five-match Women’s T20I series starting in Visakhapatnam. With several senior players retired or rested, the focus is on testing new talent ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu will lead the side, with Kaushini Nuthyangana likely replacing dropped wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewni. Experienced bowler Inoka Ranaweera will guide a group that includes uncapped players like Nimasha Madushani.

For India, the series is a key part of limited preparations before the T20 World Cup in England, with Renuka Singh returning and young spinner Vaishnavi Sharma in contention for her debut.

Sri Lanka XI (probable): 1 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 2 Vishmi Gunaratne, 3 Harshitha Samarawickrama, 4 Kavisha Dilhari, 5 Nilakshika Silva, 6 Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), 7 Manudi Nanayakkara, 8 Inoka Ranaweera/Nimasha Madushani, 9 Inoshi Priyadharshani, 10 Shashini Gimhani, 11 Malki Madara

India (probable): 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amanjot Kaur, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Sneh Rana/Vaishnavi Sharma, 9 Kranti Gaud/Arundhati Reddy, 10 Renuka Singh, 11 N Shree Charani