Only four matches remain and all of them will determine the medal positions. India, the defending champions, are still chasing gold and have committed a formidable squad to the campaign. Unlike several other Full Member teams, India opted to send their big names to Japan despite an ODI series being played at home and the 2027 ODI World Cup being only a year away.
Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are among the headline names, while Washington Sundar is another player India will be keen to see in action. Washington returned to competitive cricket in the Japan T20I after a two-month injury layoff, taking two wickets in two overs. India will want to give him more game time before the West Indies T20Is begin on October 6.
The immediate selection dilemma is around Bumrah, who was rested for the Japan match. India used Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur as their quicks, with Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar leading the spin attack. With Bumrah now available, one player will have to make way. India must also decide whether to hand Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his Asian Games debut, although Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have little reason to be left out.
Sri Lanka face a much tougher challenge on paper. Their squad contains several inexperienced players and has not played any cricket since arriving in Japan. Captain Sahan Arachchige has only one T20I cap, while four members of the squad are uncapped. Niroshan Dickwella, who last played a T20I in 2021, is among the more recognisable names.
Dickwella’s return carries added significance. He made his T20I debut against India in 2016 and last faced them in December 2017, when MS Dhoni was still playing and Rohit Sharma had recently taken over as T20I captain. Iyer, Bumrah and Washington were part of that series too.
