KL Rahul in, Rishabh Pant out: India's playing 11 for ODI series against Sri Lanka - Predicted

KL Rahul is likely to be picked over Rishabh Pant in India’s playing 11 for the first ODI against Sri Lanka.

Team India have bagged yet another bilateral T20I series as they defeated hosts Sri Lanka in the first leg of their white-ball tour. The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series. All three games will take place at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, the first of which is slated for August 2.

India only have two ODI series left to prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. So there are combinations to be settled down for the new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

In this article, we will talk about the best predicted XI for India in the ODIs against Sri Lanka.

India’s playing 11 for ODI series against Sri Lanka – Predicted

1. Rohit Sharma (C)

The last ODI match for Rohit Sharma was the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia. He hasn’t played ODI cricket since then. Rohit, who has retired from T20Is, will be back as the ODI captain and will begin the preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

2. Shubman Gill (vc)

Shubman Gill is an important member of the ODI setup now, and his records are phenomenal. He is the leading scorer in international cricket since 2023. He has been ascended to white-ball vice-captaincy starting with this tour. Gill’s form is also good and he will be one of the players to keep an eye on during this ODI series.

3. Virat Kohli

Like Rohit, Kohli also hasn’t played ODI cricket since the World Cup 2023 final. The former India captain will look to get some runs under his belts as the T20 World Cup 2024 didn’t go well for him apart from the final. Kohli is arguably the greatest ODI batsman of all time.

4. Shreyas Iyer

Iyer had a terrific ODI World Cup 2023 campaign at No. 4. But, the circumstances got worse after that, and he was left out of BCCI’s central contracts. Iyer remains a key cog in India’s playing XI in ODIs. He is an excellent player of spin, and that will be very useful in Sri Lankan ODIs.

5. KL Rahul (wk)

A potential toss-up in India’s playing XI will be between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. India are likely to go with Rahul, who has done tremendously well as a middle-order batter in ODIs.

Rahul was one of the top performers in the ODI World Cup 2023. Rahul has also improved his wicket-keeping and his consistency and solidity in the middle order give the top-order batters the licence to play with freedom.

6. Shivam Dube

With Hardik Pandya unavailable for the ODI series, India might give Shivam Dube a chance in the playing XI. He brings his all-round skills to the table, and on spin-friendly pitches, he is a dangerous batter. His medium-pace bowling can be tested in this series.

7. Washington Sundar

The conditions in Sri Lanka are spin-friendly, so there could be three spinners in India’s playing XI. That will give a chance to Washington Sundar to feature in the playing XI as a spin-bowling all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja is not available, so Sundar will hold a key place in the side. Sundar brings the off-spin option to the table and is handy with the bat.

8. Axar Patel

Axar Patel has become an integral part of the Indian team across formats, especially in spin-friendly conditions. He bowls tidily and can bowl at all stages of the game. With the bat, he is a floater who can bat at any position. So he will be a key player for the visitors in the series.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav will be the first-choice spinner in the playing XI. Kuldeep has been in red-hot form and he assures that the opposition doesn’t get away in the middle overs. He has good numbers in Sri Lanka and we might see him run through the Sri Lankan batting order once again.

10. Arshdeep Singh

With Jasprit Bumrah rested for the series, Arshdeep Singh will have an important role. He has grown as a bowler in the T20Is and the selectors want to give him a long run in ODIs now. This series is important for him because India need strong backups in the pace department. He is effective with both new and old balls.

11. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj loves bowling against Sri Lanka in ODIs. He has nine wickets in the last two ODIs against Sri Lanka, and his best of 6/21 came against the Island Nation in the Asia Cup 2023 final. He will be confident to add plenty more wickets in this series.

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