On paper, Sri Lanka might seem like a fish out of water. Their most recent ODI assignment turned out to be an embarrassment of grand magnitude, as a depleted Zimbabwean outfit managed to stun them 3-2. The wounds of that loss are still fresh, and now, they are up against arguably the most ruthless force of ODI cricket – team India.
India, despite not winning the ICC Champions Trophy, are by far the strongest ODI unit at present given their personnel and bench strength. Their top 3 alone is capable of demolishing the best of bowling lineups, as seen till recently. To add to that, knowing Sri Lanka’s miserable form in limited overs, the men in blue will be tempted to rest a few key players, in the lead up to the home season, which promises to be a challenging and hectic assignment.
Rumors close to the Indian dressing room do suggest that skipper Virat Kohli in all probability will be rested for the upcoming series. Sri Lanka did manage to stun India in England not so long ago, but that could be seen as a one off upset more than anything else. Thereby, it even makes sense to rest Kohli, as India will be on the run throughout the next few months with the home season and the tour of South Africa on cards.
In that case, India’s vice captain Rohit Sharma will be in line for his captaincy debut and after having three silverwares in his cabinet as Mumbai Indians captain, this is an opportunity well deserved for the elegant opener. Rohit too has the skills needed to succeed as a captain and it will surely be an enthralling sight watching him lead the troops with senior pros such as MS Dhoni being around.
From the batting front, this series could turn out to be the final opportunity for veteran Yuvraj Singh. The southpaw didn’t have an ideal outing in the Caribbean and therefore this can be termed as the make or break series for him. A failure out here is likely to mean the end of his international career, as India will begin preparing for the 2019 World Cup in England, with a younger crop of players.
A similar case is applicable for MS Dhoni as well, with the legendary glovesman already on the wrong side of 30. Though Dhoni isn’t under as much scrutiny as Yuvraj, form wise his situation isn’t any better by any means. However, this series could still see both veterans playing all five games and giving it their absolute best.
After being named the Man of the Series in the Caribbean, Ajinkya Rahane will retain his position in the squad and deserves to post such a clinical batting display. The backup opener will be comeback man KL Rahul, who will embark on his first limited overs assignment since the T20I series against England at home, earlier this year. Depending on the position and scenario, Rahul could be given a go and he will have to fight out Rahane, given the only one of them can take a slot in the full strength XI. If given a chance, Rahul will look to make the most out of it without second thoughts. For the one off T20I though, Rahul is likely to get the nod ahead of Shikhar Dhawan and open alongside Rohit.
Another man making a comeback should be Manish Pandey. The Karnataka batsman was recently the Man of the Series in India A’s victorious campaign in South Africa, where he put on a consistent display. There would be certain competition between him and Yuvraj Singh for the number four position.
Spin department wise, the Indian selectors should opt to rest spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin, keeping the challenges of the home season in mind. With the likes of Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav raring to go, India have more than abundant spin talent, which deserves a go throughout the duration of a series. Both Patel and Chahal were tremendous for India A recently and bowled with noticeable consistency in each game.
Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav should make up for the finishers, while the former will be slotted in as the all rounder. Pandya will be trusted to bowl his quota of ten overs more often than not, and this series presents him with an ideal opportunity to work out on his bowling in the shorter formats.
The pace battery should comprise of the regular combination of four pacers. As of now, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are certain starters. If the selectors feel that Umesh Yadav needs to be rested, then he could make way for either Shardul Thakur or Siddharth Kaul, as both young pacers did exceptionally well in South Africa for India A.
All in all, one can expect the ODI squad to be based on the outlines of preparing for the 2019 World Cup. Sri Lanka might not possess a great ask for India, but it will surely present a fine opportunity for young talent to showcase its class.
Predicted Indian ODI and T20I squad vs Sri Lanka:
- S. Dhawan 2. R. Sharma (c) 3. A. Rahane 4. Yuvraj Singh 5. MS Dhoni (wk) 6. K. Jadhav 7. H. Pandya 8. A. Patel 9. K. Yadav 10. B. Kumar 11. M. Shami 12. J. Bumrah 13. U. Yadav 14. M. Pandey 15. KL Rahul 16. Y. Chahal