Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul In, No Place For...? IND's Probable XI vs SL For 1st ODI

Gambhir, Rohit and Agarkar in a discussion during Team India training (X.com)Gambhir, Rohit and Agarkar in a discussion during Team India training (X.com)

Rohit Sharma and Co. are all prepped up as India take on Sri Lanka in the first ODI  of the three-match series at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Thursday, 2 August.

Under the guidance of the newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir, India has witnessed bright start. Suryakumar Yadav's leadership led India to a clean sweep in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka. 

In just ten days, the Gambhir era has brought a new energy to the Indian contingent, evident in Suryakumar's bowling prowess and Rinku Singh's newfound death-over instincts.

This ODI series marks the highly anticipated return of the dynamic duo, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both players announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game after this year's victory in the T20 World Cup, and their return is sure to add an extra layer of excitement to the upcoming ODI series.

It is expected that the upcoming ODI series will feature such spontaneous and never-before-seen changes, one of which could be Shreyas Iyer's bowling. 

While Hardik Pandya was part of India's team for the T20I leg, his absence due to 'personal reasons' has left a mark on the team. However, in his absence we could see Shivam Dube come in. Meanwhile, looking at the team's composition, we could also see KL Rahul in the first game in place of Rishabh Pant. 

From the bowler's perspective, we saw Gambhir utilise all his players to ensure multiple bowling options, demonstrating the team's adaptability. This adaptability is sure to be a key factor in the 50-over game, so be prepared to see the same during the upcoming ODI series. 

IND's Playing XI vs SL

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Arshdeep Singh