“India’s Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Two Big Selection Decisions Await Rohit Sharma”

Ahead of India’s first ODI against Sri Lanka, skipper Rohit Sharma acknowledged the difficulty in choosing between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper-batter role. He described both players as match-winners and expressed that having such “problems” while picking the team is a positive challenge. The first ODI will take place on Friday in Colombo, following India’s 3-0 clean sweep in the T20I series.

It’s not just the Rahul vs Pant dilemma that Rohit needs to resolve. He also has to decide between Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag for another crucial spot. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit mentioned, “I will need to discuss with the head coach. You will see it tomorrow when we play the game.”

Rohit was pleased with the “problem of plenty,” indicating that the competition for spots is a sign of quality within the team. “It is a tough call. Both are quality players. They are match-winners in their own way. It is always nice to have problems picking up the team like that. When you are discussing too much on who to pick or leave, then that means there is quality in the team. Which I think is a good thing. I look forward to these problems till I am captain,” he concluded.

The wicketkeeper’s role is a significant quandary for India ahead of the ODI series. With Rishabh Pant recovering from a severe accident, KL Rahul filled in as the wicketkeeper in 2023, including during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the South Africa tour. Now, with both Pant and Rahul available, India needs to decide who will don the gloves.

KL Rahul has impressive statistics as a wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs. In 35 matches, he has scored 1355 runs at an average of 58.91, with two hundreds and ten fifties, alongside 48 dismissals. Pant, on the other hand, had a strong performance in ODIs last year, scoring 336 runs in 12 games, including a maiden ODI hundred against England.

When asked about retiring from the T20I format, Rohit humorously remarked that he still felt mentally connected to the format. “The only difference I feel is that I have felt like I’ve been rested from the T20Is, like it used to happen in the past. And then a big tournament will come up, and we have to again get ready for the T20Is,” he said. “That is how I feel. I do not think, I am completely out of the format,” he added.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka began on July 27 with the T20I series, where India secured victories in all three matches. The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host the three ODIs on August 2, 4, and 7.

India’s Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed/Arshdeep Singh.