Allrounder Hardik Pandya will likely skip the ODI leg of India’s Sri Lanka tour, while the new head coach Gautam Gambhir is keen on having Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah play the ODI series.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Pandya, who played a pivotal role in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean last month and who is a frontrunner to lead the team in the T20Is, could miss the ODIs due to personal reason.
The Indian teams for the Sri Lanka tour, comprising three T20Is and three ODIs, will likely be announced today and the series will mark Gambhir’s first assignment as India head coach.
Hardik Pandya Informs BCCI About his Unavailability
Pandya, who last played an ODI in October 2023 in the World Cup 2023 group game against Bangladesh and got injured during the game subsequently being ruled out of the tournament, has reportedly informed BCCI about his unavailability due to personal reasons. Pandya’s potential absence could now prove to be a golden opportunity for someone like Shivam Dube to stake his claim in India’s ODI scheme of things as a fast-bowling allrounder.
Gautam Gambhir Urges Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to Play ODI Series
It was widely speculated that senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja could give Sri Lanka ODIs a miss, thus extending their break after the T20 World Cup. However, contrary to the speculations Gambhir seems to be keen to bring in the senior players for the ODI series ‘as the Indian team will be getting one more long break thereafter’.
The SL series begins with the T20Is on July 27 while the ODI series will start from 2nd August and the final ODI will be played on 7th August. There is a gap of 6 weeks before the Indian team will take the field against Bangladesh in the 1st Test in Chennai on September 19.
However, the players are yet to respond to Gambhir’s request as of yet. Both Rohit and Kohli are out of the country on vacation with their families.
Hardik Pandya Set to be Ignored for T20I Captaincy
It is also being reported that Hardik Pandya could lose out to Suryakumar Yadav as the next India T20I captain owing to Pandya’s dodgy fitness record. Meanwhile, SKY’s leadership has been received well within the Indian dressing room.
Ravindra Jadeja’s Place in ODI Squad in Jeopardy
With Rohit, Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja announcing their retirements from T20Is, it is now likely that they will be available for the ODI series, but Jadeja’s inclusion in the squad will be a tricky proposition for the selectors as Axar Patel has emerged a very strong contender to fill the spin-bowling allrounder’s slot in white-ball cricket for India.
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