Following the T20 World Cup 2024, it was anticipated that Rohit Sharma and two other senior cricket players, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, would take a lengthy hiatus before playing in the series against Bangladesh later in the year. But with the Champions Trophy in mind, new head coach Gautam Gambhir preferred the veteran players for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
The former cricket player encouraged the seniors to participate because India only has six ODI matches left before the major tournament in Pakistan, especially since they will have a significant break following the series. As things stand, Rohit will probably be available for the series, but Bumrah and Kohli may decide to prolong the vacation. The Indian captain is currently in the United States with his family, but if he eventually goes to Sri Lanka for the ODI series, he will come back to India.
Rohit Sharma will lead the squad if he plays, but according to, veteran player KL Rahul is the favourite to be selected captain if he doesn’t. On the other side, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer are anticipated to rejoin the Indian team. But Hardik Pandya has informed BCCI officials that he will not be playing in the ODI series.
In the interim, Suryakumar Yadav can be chosen by the selection committee to skipper the T20Is instead of Pandya. Suryakumar is currently the favourite, but the officials are unsure about his fitness and task management. The choice hasn’t been made official yet, though, as Pandya’s captaincy experience is also important. When the committee lead by Ajit Agarkar convenes to finalise the squad for the Sri Lanka series, a final decision will be made.
Remarkably, BCCI has not yet confirmed Gambhir’s support personnel. Although many names have been canvassed, no one has been appointed by the officials as of yet. There are only ten days left before the series premieres, so a choice must be taken quickly.
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