Team India skipper Virat Kohli, ahead of his side's the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, reviled that Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul would be the opening duo for Sunday's opener at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.

"Rahul has done very well for himself. It is a good sign for the side that he is coming into his own. We are very happy that he is striking the ball so well. It can happen in sports that one guy gets injured and the other grabs his opportunity with both hands," Kohli told reporters during the pre-match press conference on Saturday (January 4).

"Shikhar is an experienced player. There are 15 guys in the team and everyone understands that each of them cannot play all games. It is all about having beliefs. Both of them will start the series for us, but when Rohit comes back, it will get a bit difficult," he added.

India decided to rest their in-form opener, Rohit Sharma, for the Sri Lanka series and opted to bring in Shikhar Dhawan into the side, who recently recovered from his knee injury.

However, Rohit will be available for selection for India's home series against Australia, starting from January 14.

"Apart from those 30 minutes, it was a great year for Indian cricket. We are extremely proud of what we achieved last year. All we can do is to give our best. We will look to continue our success from last year," Virat claimed.

"We want to keep the standards of our cricket high. The youngsters on the side need to play with a carefree spirit. We need to keep on grooming young players in the side."

"I see a cultural shift in the last two-three years in Indian cricket. It is about playing for the side, not thinking about individual things. I have seen that happening in the last two-three years. We have started appreciating small efforts by players in the game. Once you focus on the team, the pressure goes away," the Indian skipper added.