Winning is all Gautam Gambhir knows. Whether it be as a player or now as a coach. He’s already got a lot of credit in the bank, having won World Cup titles and IPL trophies. His second chapter with the Indian cricket team has started on the right note as well. A week after being appointed head coach, he made the BCCI backtrack on their decision.
The head coach wanted the two senior statesmen of the team, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, to be part of India’s ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour. However, the BCCI had already decided to rest them and Jasprit Bumrah. After a hectic couple of months (IPL 2024 and T20 World Cup), they chose to be given some off time and directly play in September.
Gambhir gets Kohli
But Gambhir wanted Rohit and Kohli to play. Following his request, the Indian captain decided to cut his vacation short, but Kohli was granted further rest. Well, that isn’t true anymore. According to the Indian Express, Kohli will also be part of the India vs Sri Lanka ODIs. The modern great has made himself available for the 3-match series and will soon return from London, where he’s currently staying with the family.
The official announcement for the squad will likely come today (Thursday, July 18), when the BCCI selection committee will sit with Secretary Jay Shah, who is currently in Sri Lanka for the ICC annual conference.
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Predicted India ODI squad for Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar.