IND vs SL 2nd Odi: India’s tour of Sri Lanka has been the most exciting return of the Indian players to the format since the disappointing CWC final in 2023. T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma marked his return as the skipper of the Indian team and also an opener before the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The first game witnessed the legendary Indian players suffer, as this proved that lack of game time often troubles you in the format. Other than Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who excelled with a 50+ score up the order, no other player stood firm for the team.
Sharma, since being appointed as the ODI skipper, has tried to evolve the game standards of the format, as he has batted with a strike rate above 115 and has mostly scored quick runs in the powerplay. But in the 1st ODI, the Indian lineup collapsed after the fall of Rohit Sharma, as even the likes of great Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul all made 20s with a very marginal strike rate.
Despite their slow rate of scoring runs, Dube took them very near to a victory; however, India lost a 14-ball, 1-run-needed game, as Rohit also criticised Arshdeep Singh’s selection of a poor approach for scoring just a single.
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Likely Changes Gautam Gambhir and Co. would make it to India’s starting lineup
Riyan Parag
The last game at Colombo saw the Sri Lankan spinners, even the likes of skipper Asalanka, who is a part-time spinner, turn the course of the game. Though Dube was a sensational performer in the last ODI, as he picked wicket with the ball alongside scoring some vital runs towards the end of the innings, Riyan Parag might be considered over him for the 2nd ODI.
This is because of the likely spin-favoring nature of the Lankan tracks. Parag, moreover, had already shown how good he is with the ball when tracks favor spin in the previous T20I series. Parag’s, though young, can be handy and hence be preferred as a choice by Gambhir.
Harshit Rana
With the likes of Parag being picked in place of all-rounder Dube, who likely replaced Hardik Pandya from the ODI squad, India will be left out with only two handy pacers—Siraj and Arshdeep.
Here the ex-KKR mentor who has nurtured the young pacer Harshit Rana under him might look to have him in place of Washington Sundar, though that might reduce India’s batting depth.
Rishabh Pant
Pant was not picked for the first ODI, and hence the Delhi boy awaits his return to the ODIs. Pant has been India’s first-choice keeper-batsman in the shortest format of the game; however, with the likes of KL Rahul, who is quite promising in the longer white-ball format, it seems competitive for Pant to make his way into the side. Now with Hasaranga gone, his most likely threat in the Lankan side is also gone.
The last game saw an experimental move of Sundar coming into bat at no. 4. This was as Gambhir wanted a left-right hand combination in the batting order. India lacks batters left-handed; hence, often Axar is also sent up the order; however, having the likes of Pant can give them a more promising and trustworthy batting force in the middle order.
Pant, even if not picked as the keeper-batsman, might be included as a proper left-handed batter who can make the middle order firm.
