With just nine months to go to their home World Over 50 Championship, the real countdown begins for India as they begin their three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. The series kicks off here at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
India will host her three nations, including New Zealand and Australia, and in the Pre-Indian Premier League (IPL) phase he will play a series of her three matches at nine different venues each.
The workload is being closely monitored, but there will no doubt be a lot of experimentation during this phase before the more established units take their cues from the final stages of fine-tuning.
While the captaincy would change with the format change, the home side were inspired by their recent winning streak and outperformed the Islanders in the shortest version, aided by some good performances.
India’s head-to-head record and victory in the 2021 series in Colombo will please the hosts. The return of two aces, captain Rohit Sharma (who injured his hand against Bangladesh last month) and Virat Kohli, will be a huge boost to morale.
Up front, Shubman Gill consistently beats his Double Centurion wicket keeper batsman Ishan Kishan, who is the fastest.
K.L. Rahul will be wearing big gloves and Suryakumar Yadav may not find a place despite his T20’s impressive form. All-rounder vice-captain Hardik Pandya provides an important equalizer.
The name of premier pacer Japrip Bumra in the squad sparked anticipation before the Cricket Board cautiously pulled him out on Monday. Bumra, who last played in September, has recovered from his back injury.
Still, the return of speedster Mohammad Shammi, who has been sidelined since November with a shoulder problem, is encouraging. Mohammmad Siraj, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh joined his Pandya pace his bowling his picks.
The Indian spinning sector is diverse with the presence of all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, and wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Led by all-rounders Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka are looking forward to a fresh start and gaining valuable experience for their next World Cup. Along with Dasun, leading scorers Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka will be among the main hitters.
Pacemen Dilshan Madhushanka, Kasun Rajtha, Rahil Kumara and spinners Wanindu Hasaranga, Mahesh Tekshana and Jeffrey Vandersey are keen to succeed against the Indians.
The thaw factor and high scoring potential in his ODI cricket return to Versapara after 2018 will affect team pairings.
The teams (from):
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis (vice-captain), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara.