Sri Lanka vs India, 1st T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Hello and welcome to the live blog of the opening T20I between Sri Lanka and India. Before we get going, why don't you dig in on Prakash Govindasreenivasan's pre-match thoughts about the clash -

asun Shanaka will look back at the last week with mixed feelings. After a meek surrender in the first ODI, his team grew into the series, went through an emotional rollercoaster, and eventually registered their first precious points in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League. It perhaps erased the worry lines on Mickey Arthur's forehead, and brought an overall sense of relief.

The three T20I fixtures could give a fair idea of where Sri Lanka stand in the format and what it means for their chances of getting to the Super 12s in the T20 World Cup in three months' time. There was very little in the England series in June to suggest that Sri Lanka have a fight in them but Friday's win, albeit in a different format, should give them a semblance of belief heading into the T20I series.

But the competition is about to intensify. There are many in the Indian squad who haven't played a T20I before, and yet come with a lot of T20 miles in their tank.

To put it in perspective, the average T20 experience in the Sri Lankan squad is 49 games - a dwarf in comparison to India's 120. Isuru Udana - the only Sri Lankan player in the squad who has featured in more than two T20 leagues in the last 4 years - has played the most number of T20s (165). But, as many as seven players in the Indian contingent have featured in more.

For India, it could be the time for some of the fringe players to perform and throw their hat into the World Cup ring, starting with the captain Shikhar Dhawan, who admitted as much.