Gautam Gambhir’s Dilemma: Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul for India vs Sri Lanka ODI Series?
The Indian team management, led by Gautam Gambhir, faces a significant decision regarding their long-term wicketkeeper-batter for ODIs as they prepare for a three-match series against Sri Lanka starting this Friday. While the return of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will attract considerable attention following the recent T20 World Cup win, the primary focus will be on resolving the wicketkeeper-batter dilemma between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.
The series is crucial in a season filled with major ODI events, including the Champions Trophy. This presents an opportunity for Gambhir and the management to determine whether Rahul or Pant will secure the role of first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for India.
KL Rahul, the current wicketkeeper-batter, has been in the role since the Asia Cup last year. He has demonstrated solid performance both as a batsman and as a wicketkeeper, accumulating 834 runs from 21 matches at an average of 69.50, including two centuries. Rahul also led the Indian side in the ODI series against South Africa earlier this year.
In contrast, Rishabh Pant’s return to the Indian team after his severe accident in 2022 has been promising but inconsistent. Although Pant has shown flashes of his potential recently, his performance hasn’t been stellar enough to decisively outshine Rahul. If Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma decide to include both Rahul and Pant, they will need to consider how to fit Shreyas Iyer into the lineup. Iyer, who scored a half-century in his last ODI against South Africa and has amassed 846 runs in 20 matches this year, adds to the complexity of team selection.
The decision may come down to whether India opts to accommodate all three—Rahul, Pant, and Iyer—by playing with five bowlers, which could be challenging, especially with Hardik Pandya missing the series due to personal reasons. This situation might lead to the inclusion of either Shivam Dube or Riyan Parag at number 6.
Parag, who has shown promise with both batting and bowling in domestic cricket, might be given a more prominent role, while Dube, with limited recent ODI appearances, could face tougher competition.
Gambhir will also be keen to observe the performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are returning to ODI action after a disappointing World Cup final last year. Sri Lanka, on their part, will be eager to avoid the batting collapses that plagued them during the T20I series and will be without key pacers Matheesha Pathirana and Dilshan Madhushanka due to injuries.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Nishan Madushka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Ehsan Malinga, Mohammed Shiraz, Asitha Fernando. Standbys: Kusal Janith, Pramod Madushan, Jeffrey Vandersay.
Match starts at 2:30 PM IST.
