India’s whitewash in the Test series against Sri Lanka just underlined the supremacy that the team has over their neighbours. The Indian team were utterly dominant, winning all the games comfortably and will now move to the 3-match ODI series. Here is the probable XI for the ODI series:
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan
Rohit Sharma:
After a short break from the Tests, Rohit will be back and will look to gain some momentum going into the long ODI schedule here and at home. He will open for sure and will look to plunder against the Lankans.
Shikhar Dhawan:
The left-hander had an excellent Test series, hitting two centuries to show that he is well and truly settled in the Indian team. His ODI form is better and Sri Lanka will find it hard to get his wicket.
Middle order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav
Virat Kohli:
The Indian captain will lead from the front and look to establish an ODI series win on foreign land. He will also look to continue his recent rich vein of form in the limited overs format.
KL Rahul:
The Bangalore-based batsman looked in good touch in the Test series and is a great limited overs player too. Rahul might just get the nod ahead of Ajinkya Rahane for the middle order slot of the team.
MS Dhoni:
The former Indian captain will be back for the limited overs format and will look to get some runs in what could probably be his last tour of the Emerald Isles. Dhoni will don the gloves and look to marshal the team at times.
Kedar Jadhav:
The middle-order batsman has the uncanny ability of picking wickets with the ball when called upon and could prove to be very useful down the order when some big hitting is required or to stabilise when the top order fails.
All rounder: Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya:
India’s golden boy at the moment, Pandya is on a hot streak following his fantastic debut Test series after a good tour of the West Indies. He will be the main all-rounder for the team.
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur
Kuldeep Yadav:
The Chinaman spinner played well after deputising for the banned Ravindra Jadeja in the final Test and will look to carry that form into the ODI series too.
Jasprit Bumrah:
Bumrah is back after a short break and will look to hit the ground running knowing that there is a long ODI schedule ahead. He will be needed for those vital breakthroughs in the death overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
The Indian bowler did not get to play in the Test series though he was in the squad and he is a superb bowler in limited overs. He will flex his skill and look to run through the opposition top order.
Shardul Thakur:
The inclusion of Thakur depends on whether the team wants to play with three pacers or an extra spinner. If Chahal doesn’t get the approval, then Thakur will mostly play in his first overseas tour.
