3 Promising Players Who Can Replace Nuwan Thushara in the Sri Lanka Squad

Sri Lankan Cricket Team were dealt a massive blow when Nuwan Thushara was ruled out of the India series due to injury. The 29-year-old has suffered an injury to his finger during a training session which means he won't play the three-match T20I series versus India starting on Saturday. 

Nuwan Thushara becomes the Sri Lankan player in many days to miss the series. On Wednesday it was revealed that pacer Dushmanta Chameera was ruled out due to an illness he has been suffering for the last few days. 

Sri Lanka and India will play three T20I matches on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. All three matches are set to be played in a single venue in Pallekele. Nuwan Thushara is a key bowler for Sri Lanka as seen during the T20 World Cup where he was the only bowler amongst the wickets. 

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Here are the three bowlers who can replace Nuwan Thushara for the series against India 

3- Dushan Hemantha 

The 30-year-old has played 5 ODI matches for Sri Lanka and is yet to make his debut in the T20 format. Dushan Hemantha has played 60 T20 matches in the domestic circuit and picked 45 wickets with a best of 4/19 and has an economy rate of 6.4 runs per over.  Dushan Hemantha isn’t just a good spinner of the ball but also can score crucial runs with 691 runs in T20 matches with 1 fifty and a strike rate of 123. Dushan Hemantha has picked 11 wickets from his last 6 games and can be an ideal replacement for Nuwan Thushara versus India. 

2- Chamika Karunaratne 

Chamika Karunaratne hasn’t played for Sri Lanka since 2023 and the injury to Nuwan Thushara can be a good chance for his comeback. Chamika Karunaratne isn’t just a decent lower-order batter but also more than handy with the ball. The 28-year-old has played 42 matches for Sri Lanka and taken 24 wickets and scored 291 runs with the bat. During the recent Lanka Premier League, Chamika Karunaratne showed his powerful hitting on many occasions batting lower down the order. 

1- Dilshan Madushanka 

The left-arm pacer has been sorely missed by Sri Lanka due to his constant struggles with injuries. Dilshan Madushanka is a nippy pacer with the ability to bowl quickly and also swing the ball into the right-handed batters. Madushanka has picked 14 wickets from 14 matches in T20 Cricket for his national side. Still, early in his career, the 23-year-old will want to make his comeback versus India and show his potential with the ball.