IND vs SL: The final team for the long-awaited series is yet to be announced; however, as per reports, the BCCI is all set to make the announcement on Thursday. What adds spice to this tour is that this will be Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment with the Men in Blue.
Previously, it was claimed that Indian veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah were set to miss the ODI series for the Sri Lanka tour. However, the new coach had urged all the senior players to join him for his first major outing.
After first Rohit Sharma made himself available for the ODIs on the request of Gautam Gambhir, now the other veteran Virat Kohli has been reported to have informed the BCCI about his availability for the ODIs in the Sri Lanka tour, following the earnest desire of the arriving coach to feature the senior players, as India are set to play only a handful of six one-day matches before they enter the Champions Trophy in 2025.
However, amidst all the conundrums over whether the veterans will feature in the tour and who will land as T20I captain in the absence of the veterans, the squad announcement has been delayed over a period of time.
Now, let’s have a look at the player who might miss their chances to feature in ODIs for Sri Lanka with the comeback of Virat Kohli.
Players likely to miss Sri Lanka ODIs with Kohli’s return
Ruturaj Gaikwad
The CSK skipper has been a consistent performer in the domestic circle and has also been a star in the IPL. Now, with Virat’s absence in the shortest format, he is all set to fill in his shoes. Looking at the versatility of the rising batter, he could have featured across all three formats for India, and the Sri Lanka tour would have been the ideal way to kickstart his one-day career.
However, now that Kohli is back in the lineup, this fills the No. 3 spot, which reduces the chances for the young batter to get his ODI call for his first major tour with the Men in Blue.
Sanju Samson
The Rajasthan Royals skipper has now been with the Indian team for several years. He has been picked by coaches from time to time; however, Samson never made it to the squad in vital tournaments. Sanju could get his first major breakthrough in the Sri Lanka tour under new head coach Gambhir; however, with Kohli’s return, the middle order now seems too crowded for Sanju to feature.
Though he might find his spot lately in the T20Is, Samson is sure to miss his spot in the ODI games in the presence of senior batters Kohli, Rahul, and Pant.
Shreyas Iyer
Surprised! Don’t be, as Shreyas Iyer is used to surprises. The KKR skipper lost his BCCI annual contract after a dominating performance in the Cricket World Cup, and everyone seemed shocked by it.
However, under Gambhir, the batter is expected to make a comeback. Though Iyer’s return to the Indian team is still set to be made, his chances in the starting XI are more than reduced with the return of Kohli. With Pant’s return, Iyer’s No. 4 spot already looked threatened; only if Kohli missed the tour could he have made it into Gambhir’s starting XI.
With Virat Kohli’s probable return and Pant and Rahul both having chances of making a return to the Indian side, there are very slight chances of Shreyas Iyer sealing a spot in the longer limited-overs format games.