Former skipper Angelo Mathews returned to the Sri Lanka squad for the three-match T20I series against India starting in Guwahati on January 5.

The 32-year-old all-rounder made a comeback to the team after a 16-month absence from the shortest form of the game.

Mathews played his last T20I against South Africa in August 2018 when he led Sri Lanka to a three-wicket win.

Mathews’s career has been a stop-start one due to recurring injuries. However, he has comparatively been a bit more regular in Tests and ODIs for Sri Lanka over the last year or so, playing as a specialist batsman and bowling rarely.

That makes him one of seven specialist-batting options in the 16-man squad named for the India tour.

Shehan Jayasuriya misses out from that squad, and all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva is the other addition apart from Mathews.

Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement that the 16-member squad would be led by Lasith Malinga. Initially, fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep was included in the squad, but he had to make way for seamer Kasun Rajitha after sustaining an injury during practice sessions.

The squad will leave for India on Thursday.

The last time Sri Lanka visited India was in late 2017, where they lost the three-Test series 0-1, ODIs 1-2 and were swept away 3-0 by the Rohit Sharma-led side. Mathews had been a part of that Sri Lankan T20I squad.