Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are back in the Indian ODI squad picked for the series against Sri Lanka. Shreyas Iyer is also back as the middle-order batsmen are back after a long break.
This is Pant’s first return to the Indian ODI squad since his unfortunate accident in December 2022. For Rahul and Iyer, Gautam Gambhir, having spent enough time with both of them in the last few IPL seasons, realised their importance in the middle order.
Meanwhile, Pant, Rahul and Sanju Samspon seem to be India’s options for the wicket-keeper batsman slot. Pant and Samson have been picked for the T20I squad against Sri Lanka. In the ODIs, Rahul and Pant are the two options. Given his recent form and success with the Indian team, Pant seems to be the common choice across all formats.
‘Tough choice’: Robin Uthappa on how Gautam Gambhir will accommodate Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in ODI starting XI against Sri Lanka
Speaking to Sony Sports ahead of India’s series against Sri Lanka, former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa spoke about how Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma could handle the duo in the ODI setup. Rahul scored 452 runs at an average of 75.33 in the 2023 ODI World Cup in Pant’s absence.
“Both have been amazing and their numbers have been really good. Rahul’s numbers in ODI cricket have been exceptional, and Pant has just had an incredible T20 World Cup. His personal journey has been pretty incredible over the last two-and-a-half years. So it’s a tough choice. Stepping in Gambhir and Rohit’s shoes is going to be tough,” Uthappa was quoted as saying by Khel Now.
The former Indian cricketer further said that the new generation of Indian players will have to grab their opportunities with both hands as the competition within the team is increasing.
“With this new combination of the leadership group, we need to see who is the favourite. As players, every opportunity that comes your way will be really important and players will have to grab it with both hands. So I wish both of them the best of luck and hope the best player wins,” Uthappa added.
Starting with the Sri Lanka ODI series, India have just six ODI matches before the 2024 ICC Champions Trophy. India will play a lot of Test cricket between September 2024 and January 2025. The Champions Trophy will be played between February and March 2025.
Gambhir, India’s new head coach, addressed the media in Mumbai before leaving for Sri Lanka for the ODI series. On Tuesday, Gambhir had his first practice session with the Indian T20I squad that was selected for the series.
Suryakumar Yadav was named the new captain of the T20I team despite Hardik Pandya’s proven success as India’s T20I captain, which came as a surprise to many fans.
