The inclusion of 17-year-old allrounder Kavisha Dilhari, and the returns of Eshani Lokusuriyage and Dilani Manodara, are among seven changes Sri Lanka have made to the squad that will face India for the five-match T20I series starting on September 19. Chamari Atapattu, who had missed the Asia Cup T20 - Sri Lanka's last T20 assignment - with dengue, but captained the ODI series last week, will lead the side in the T20Is as well.
Dilhari, who has long been dubbed by the Sri Lanka management as future star, made her international debut against Pakistan in March this year. On Sunday, in the third ODI against India, she picked Harmanpreet Kaur's wicket and scored a vital 12 not-out in Sri Lanka's successful chase of 254 - their highest in ODIs - off the penultimate ball of the game. The winning hit came off Dilhari's bat.
The inclusions of Lokusuriyage and Manodara, however, come as a surprise. Lokusuriyage, 34, last played for Sri Lanka in the the 2017 World Cup and hasn't played in the shortest format since 2016, while 35-year old wicketkeeper-batsman Manodara played all the ODIs against India but scored just 21 runs across the three games. She didn't keep wickets in any of those matches.
Allrounder Ama Kanchana, who had also been ruled out with dengue alongside her captain for the Asia Cup, returned to the side, while 24-year-old batsman Imalka Mendis has also found a place. Mendis' inexperience had cost her a spot during the Asia Cup, but her cause has been aided by the management deciding to take a long-term view. Sripali Weerakkody also returns on the back of some promising displays in the ODIs against India. The 32-year old allrounder last played a T20I in October 2017.
Katunayake will host the first T20I on September 19, before the action moves to Colombo for the next three games on September 21, 22 and 24. The teams will return to Katunayake for the tour ender on September 25.