Ind vs SL, 3rd T20: India opt to bat in deciding match

India skipper Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and elected to bat in the third and deciding Twenty20 international of the Covid-hit series against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Thursday.

Sri Lanka on Wednesday levelled the series at 1-1 with a win in the second match, delayed by one day due after India's Krunal Pandya tested positive for coronavirus putting him in isolation along with eight close contacts.

Medium-pace bowler Sandeep Warrier makes his debut for India after coming into the side as a net bowler for the limited-overs tour of the island nation. "Our bowling is quite strong. We are just focusing on today's game, we are not going to take any pressure from the past," said Dhawan.

Sri Lanka, led by Dasun Shanaka, have made one change from their four-wicket win with Pathum Nissanka coming in for Isuru Udana.

Shanaka said, "Early wickets is going to do the trick" in the final match of the series.

The three-match 50-overs series -- won by India 2-1 -- that preceded the T20 matches had already been pushed back by five days after an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Sri Lankan camp.

Sri Lanka Playing XI:

Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (WK), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka (C), Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera.

India Playing XI:

Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (WK), Nitish Rana, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Warrier, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakravarthy.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)

TV umpire: Lyndon Hannibal (SRI)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)