The SKY and GG era is officially up and running

The Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir era has well and truly begun, and knowing how the former plays his game and how the latter looks at cricket, a one-sided affair wouldn’t have done justice to anyone. India defeated Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the first T20I on July 27 (Saturday), but it was far from a one-sided encounter.

The Men in Blue amassed 213/7 after being asked to bat first on a good Pallekele surface. In response, Sri Lanka were 140/1 at the end of 14 overs, needing 73 off 36 deliveries with two well-set batters in the middle. The hosts were very much alive in the contest but that’s when all hell broke loose. Sri Lanka lost nine wickets in the space of 30 runs, allowing SKY and GG to start their tenure with a win. 

Now, Suryakumar made it very clear before the start of the series that India will continue to play the same brand of cricket that helped them win the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, there were still some originalities to India’s game in the first T20I that would go on to define the SKY and GG-led management. 

India made some bold calls right at the toss, playing Riyan Parag ahead of some big names. Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, part of India’s T20WC-winning squad, were left out. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar was dropped after getting the Player of the Series award against Zimbabwe earlier this month. 

Parag didn’t do much with the bat but ended up taking three wickets for just five runs in 1.3 overs. 

The climax wasn’t as interesting as the build-up. However, India gave us enough moments to suggest this team under Suryakumar and Gambhir will at least be fun to watch. You know who were fun to watch? It was the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. They added 74 runs in six overs, the second-highest powerplay score against Sri Lanka at their home. 

Jaiswal smacked five fours and two maximums in his 21-ball 40, but everyone expected him to play the way he did. The real surprise was Gill, who smoked 34 off 16 deliveries, the joint-most he has scored in the powerplay in T20Is. He went about his business at a strike rate of 212.50—clearly his best in the first phase. This was his 20th T20I, and never before had he scored at a strike rate of more than 200 in the powerplay.

The duo hit 14 boundaries in the powerplay, the joint second-most for India in this phase in T20Is. The two openers perished on consecutive deliveries but neither that nor the captaincy was going to change the way SKY was going to bat. The 33-year-old had already mentioned that he wasn’t going to allow the burden of captaincy to affect his batting and it took him just one innings to prove that to the world. 

Mr. 360 smashed 58 off 26 deliveries, hitting Sri Lankan bowlers all around the park. The right-handed batter tonked eight fours and two maximums during his stay in the middle and registered the highest score for a full-time Indian captain. There were those trademark flicks over fine leg, sweeps towards square leg, and lofted drives as well - SKY looked calm and composed and in his true elements.

The Men in Blue didn’t finish the innings as well as they would have liked, but they would have always believed they could defend a target of 214. However, things don’t always go as planned. Pathum Nissanka (48-ball 79) and Kusal Mendis (27-ball 45), the Sri Lankan openers, put India under pressure straightaway by adding 84 runs in 8.4 overs.

Mendis fell to Arshdeep Singh, but Kusal Perera (14-ball 20) picked up from where Mendis left. SKY tried everything but couldn’t take control of the game until the 14th over. 

Sri Lanka was one down and going at 10 runs per over. It was still 50-50, and that’s when Axar Patel, who won some crucial moments for India in the last T20WC, dismissed Nissanka and Perara in the space of six deliveries.  

“They were playing a good brand of cricket from ball one. They were keeping the tempo; credit goes to them. We know how the wicket plays in the night. We were fortunate that there was no dew. The way we played in the World Cup reminded us that the game was still too far,” said SKY after the game. 

Sri Lanka needed 56 off 24 deliveries and had six wickets remaining. It was tough but very much gettable. Everyone thought one of Arshdeep Singh or Mohammed Siraj would come into the attack. However, SKY gave the ball to Parag, and it ended up being a masterstroke. The 22-year-old knocked over Kamindu Mendis before getting rid of Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka to finish the game for India.

SKY was named Player of the Match - his 16th in this format after 69 T20Is, helping him level up with Virat Kohli (125 T20Is). The 33-year-old has now officially taken the first step towards the 2026 T20 World Cup in India. The opponents and scenarios are going to get difficult in the future but SKY has already shown he has all the ingredients to take up any challenge. What’s more, he also has Gambhir by his side, who will always have his back.

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