With the speculations on Virat Kohli playing ODI in the Sri Lanka tour, the reports stated that Gautam Gambhir has requested the senior players to be part of the series.
Virat Kohli Likely to Play Sri Lanka ODIs
With the new journey of Indian cricket officially beginning this month, Gautam Gambhir will take charge of India’s head coach for the first time since Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended after the T20 World Cup 2024.
India is set to play a three-match T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on July 27 and it was rumored that the seniors Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would opt out of the ODI series.
With reports suggesting that Rohit Sharma to lead the India ODI squad, it looks like Virat Kohli will be also available for the tour. the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee in consultations with the BCCI has finally decided that Suryakumar to lead the India T20I squad for a three-match series whereas Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the Indian side in the ODIs.
Suryakumar Yadav was likely to captain in the T20Is, but Hardik Pandya was also a strong contender for the T20I captaincy. But the selectors aren’t sure if they should appoint Pandya as a skipper following his past fitness record. Pandya was the vice-captain at India’s T20 World Cup triumph.
SKY has captained Mumbai in the domestic circuit and also led India to a 4-1 dominating victory against Australia in a T20I series last year. He was captaining the side when India leveled the series 1-1 in South Africa. He was one of the first choices of India Xl in the format.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup and is a more experienced captain as he led India in 3 ODIs and 16 T20Is, it is revealed that fitness concerns and workload management have not favored him.
The selectors have decided to rest Bumrah for both series while Rishabh Pant will feature in both Indian squads. Riyan Parag has been pushed for the Indian middle-order spot and is likely to get picked for the ODI and T20I sides as well.
Riyan Parag’s inclusion means Suryakumar won’t be part of the ODI squad and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will feature in the T20I squad. Shreyas Iyer who has featured in the ICC ODI World Cup will be included in the squad. Shreyas Iyer has been excluded from the BCCI Central contract, but his inclusion from the squad will soon find his place in the annual contract.
Meanwhile, India’s all-rounder Shivam Dube is likely to feature in both the squads especially with Pandya opting out of ODIs. The Sri Lanka tour will start with the T20I leg starting on July 27 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
