Predicted India XI for T20I series against Sri Lanka

A confident India will be looking to win the thee-match series against Sri LankaIndia followed the disappointment of the ODI series loss against Australia by hammering the hosts 3-0 in the T20I series, thus inflicting the first series whitewash on Australia in Australia. The level of confidence that India has following the series victory against Australia will definitely hold the Men in Blue in good stead as they look to continue their winning form.India is missing one key player in Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the Sri Lanka series. This will give MS Dhoni other options to explore while trying to experiment with the batting lineup. Mohammad Shami continues to miss out as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury.On the other hand, Sri Lanka are missing quite a few players as Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara and Nuwan Pradeep are rested for the tour.India will be hoping to prepare well for the upcoming Asia Cup and the World T20 and we can expect a bit of shuffling in the squads through the series to give everyone a bit of playing time.But, the core of the Indian squad is expected to be same and we have come up with the most likely eleven players that India might field against Sri Lanka in the series that starts on February 9.Here is the predicted Indian XI:

#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma's form in the series Down Under was phenomenal, as along with Virat Kohli, he smothered the Australian bowlers to all parts of the ground. In three matches in the series, Rohit Sharma scored 143 runs at an average of 47.66 and a strike rate of 136.19. The 28-year-old scored two fifties as he helped India get off to a great start in all the matches.

India will be hoping that Rohit can carry his overseas form and build on the good start he has had to the year. Home conditions should suit the man from Mumbai, and we can expect to see runs flowing from the bat of Rohit once again.

Rohit’s average of 47.10 in T20Is, since the start of 2014, will definitely give India an edge as India's chance to get their batting innings off to a good start seems to be high with Rohit opening the innings.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has been in the spotlight since underperforming after the 2015 ICC World Cup. But, the batsman from Delhi has fought to keep his place in the side and is a definite starter at the top of the order along with Rohit Sharma.

Although Dhawan disappointed in the first T20I against Australia, he made it up in the second and third T20Is as he showed glimpses of the talents he possesses. If the nine-ball 26 in the third T20I is anything to go by, India could be looking at attacking cricket from the Indian openers.

The 30-year-old has a better home record than he has outside India, and this will give him a lot of confidence as he takes on a weakened Sri Lankan side.

#3 Ajinkya Rahane

With the absence of Virat Kohli, India's best performer in the T20I series, the prized No. 3 spot is up for grabs. This is a great opportunity for Ajinkya Rahane to come in at No.3 give the selectors a bit of a selection headache with his performances.

Rahane has played only 13 T20Is for India, but his T20 experience in India is something that cannot be set aside as he been one of the most consistent performers at the top of the order in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

His last T20I for India was in July 2015, against Zimbabwe, as he missed out on playing in the series against Australia after splitting his webbing. This will be a chance that Rahane will hope to make full use of to stake a claim in the playing XI for the Asia Cup and the World T20.

#4 Yuvraj Singh

Most Indian fans were hoping to watch Yuvraj Singh bat more than he did during the Australia series. The Indian top-order batting domination did not allow him to bat in the first two T20Is.

However, in the third T20I, when Yuvraj came to bat a billion hearts hoped to see a glimpse of the Yuvraj they saw few years ago. He was sent in to bat at No.5, ahead of MS Dhoni, at a crucial point at the time. Although he struggled at first, he came up with the goods at the exact time and helped India clinch an absolute thriller sending all his fans into delirium.

One thing that was clear was that Yuvraj, making his comeback to the national side after nearly two years, needed some time to get used to the pressure situation that international cricket demands. Hence, it would only be wise if Yuvraj is promoted to No. 4 during the Sri Lanka series to help prepare the 34-year-old for the Asia Cup and the World T20.

#5 Suresh Raina

Being dropped out of the Indian ODI squad would have disappointed Suresh Raina, however, the 29-year-old made a strong comeback into the T20I squad in the series against Australia.

Despite Rohit Sharma’s and Kohli's batting displays in the third T20I, it was Raina's innings that guided India home as he scored an unbeaten knock of 49 from 25 balls.

If MS Dhoni ever decides to retire anytime soon, Raina seems like the best possible successor to take over the role of the finisher and that innings in the third T20I in Sydney showed exactly that. India will be hoping that Raina can continue in the same vein and help his side to a convincing series win over Sri Lanka.

#6 MS Dhoni (C & Wk)

If the intent that MS Dhoni showed during the T20I series against Australia was a sign of his brave approach in the shorter format, we can expect to see some fireworks from the bat of the 34-year-old from Jharkhand. He attacked every ball trying to score a boundary off it, albeit he faced very few balls to definitively term it as a developing trend.

The series against Sri Lanka could be one of the last few series for the successful Indian captain and he will be looking to sign off his international career on a high note leading his side to as many wins as possible.

With Dhoni, however, one can expect that there will be shuffling in the batting order depending on the demands of the match and No. 6 cannot be termed as Dhoni's permanent position in the upcoming series.

#7 Hardik Pandya

The extremely confident 22-year-old from Baroda is expected to be the solution to India's search for a good seaming all-rounder. Making his debut in the T20I series against Australia, Pandya was not able to showcase his talent with the bat.

However, Pandya picked up three wickets in the three games he played, although he leaked runs at a high rate. It might have very well been a case of nerves as he was bowling to some of the world's best batsmen.

Pandya, who considers himself a batting all-rounder, will be hoping to get an opportunity to bat in the three-match series against Sri Lanka and will also want to bowl more consistently to try and become a regular in the Indian side.

#8 Ravindra Jadeja

With the arrival of Hardik Pandya in the Indian T20I team setup, it means that Ravindra Jadeja will have to bat one place lower in the batting lineup. However, this does add depth to the Indian batting lineup which could the help the team in case of an unforeseen collapse.

Jadeja does not have a lot of variations with the ball, but he does bowl a consistent line and length, rarely giving any room to the batsmen to free their arms. The 27-year-old was one of India's most consistent bowlers in the series against Australia, finishing the tour off with five wickets in the three T20Is.

The last time Jadeja bowled in India was against South Africa in the Test series, and his excellent performance there will give him a lot of confidence ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka.

#9 Ravichandran Ashwin

If there is one spinner any team should have in their side in subcontinent conditions, it is Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin is one of the most potent threats to opposition batsmen on the slow Indian pitches as he makes very good use of the conditions.

Against Australia, Ashwin came back well to bowl brilliantly in the T20I series after missing out on three of the five ODIs against the World Champions. When the Indian fast bowlers leaked away runs, Ashwin led the spin attack as he kept things tight from one end.

With a T20I average of 26.45 and immense bowling experience in the IPL, Ashwin will be the frontline bowler for India against Sri Lanka. We could very well see Dhoni use 29-year-old to begin proceedings with the ball.

#10 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah's entry into international cricket was probably earlier than most Indian fans would have expected. Injuries to India's frontline pacers gave the 22-year-old from Gujarat an opportunity to exhibit his abilities in the international circuit.

In the four internationals he has played so far, Bumrah has picked up eight wickets at an average of 17.87, an economy rate of 6.55 and a strike rate of 16.12; all phenomenal numbers for any bowler.

Things are setting up nicely for the youngster as he seems set to take on the mantle of becoming one of India's main bowlers. In conditions that he has been used to, Bumrah will hope to perform well with the ball. His ability to bowl yorkers in the death overs makes him an invaluable asset for the Indian squad, as that is a feature that has been missing in most Indian pace bowlers.

#11 Ashish Nehra

The veteran Indian left-arm pacer made a return to the national side after nearly five years. But, time away from the national side did not seem to have diminished Ashish Nehra's abilities as he bowled fairly well on the flat Australian pitches.

Nehra picked up just two wickets but was able to start things well with the new ball and not give away too many easy runs. His impressive T20I average of 24.66 proves how great a threat Nehra can be in the shorter format.

Having performed exceptionally well in the 2015 edition of the IPL, Nehra will be aiming to make use of the favourable conditions and help India to a series win over Sri Lanka.