The Indian cricket team is now charged up and taken to the field at R. Premadasa Stadium to play the first ODI against Sri Lanka. After convincingly beating the island nation by a 3-0 margin under new captain Suryakumar Yadav and popular new coach Gautam Gambhir, it’s now time for ODI action. We will witness the heroics of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with the bat once again.
Also, there are notable comebacks, particularly from KL Rahul. India has selected specialist keepers Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul for the three ODIs as they prepare for their next big assignment, the Champions Trophy next year. Therefore, having all their key players in top form is a priority. In the first ODI, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat. Rohit Sharma’s playing XI was announced, and the absence of Rishabh Pant came as a surprise. Why is he not in the playing XI?
Why is Rishabh Pant not playing
Although the reason for Pant’s exclusion is still not clear, it seems that the team wants to give more batting and keeping time to KL Rahul. Since Rahul is a key player and everyone remembers his glove work and batting performance in the 2023 World Cup, the team might be looking to rely on both keepers for important duties next year. This could be a rotational strategy.
Also, Rohit Sharma continues in his role as captain after the T20 World Cup triumph, while Virat Kohli, who has recently retired from T20 cricket, is set to bat at No. 3 once again. Shreyas Iyer is also making a comeback. It will be interesting to see how this approach works for India under the new coach, Gautam Gambhir.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz
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