Harsha Bhogle names India’s playing XI for ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka

In July, fans will see two Indian teams playing simultaneously. While Virat Kohli’s men would be crossing swords with England in a five-match Test series, a squad of white-ball specialists will meet Sri Lanka in three ODIs and as many T20Is. Hence, many big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah will not travel to the island nation, and BCCI will announce a squad with several fresh faces.

Speaking of the same, veteran Indian commentator, Harsha Bhogle opined that despite missing the big guns, India can still name a formidable team that can beat the Lankan lions in their own den. He also picked India’s playing XI for ODIs and T20Is. While Bhogle named some fresh faces, he also made some notable exclusion in both squads.

Bhogle named his Indian line-ups while featuring in a video for Cricbuzz. For ODIs, the commentator put Delhi Capitals duo Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan in the opening slot. The two dashers performed well in the now-postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 and are all but sure to catch the flight for Sri Lanka.

Manish Pandey finds a place in Harsha Bhogle’s ODI XI

Bhogle’s middle-order comprised Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey. While Yadav and Samson played some impressive knocks in IPL 2021, Pandey didn’t enjoy a great campaign. However, the commentator has backed him to do well in ODIs. Pandya brothers (Hardik and Krunal) are next in the line-up to take the all-rounder’s slot. Notably, Hardik didn’t bowl a single over in IPL 2021, but Bhogle kept him for his big-hitting prowess.

While Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were the two spinners in Bhogle’s XI, Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been named as pacers. Notably, Bhogle didn’t pick the likes of Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur, who have been with the ODI side for a while.

The commentator’s T20I XI was not much different from the ODI line-up. Manish Pandey was the only one going out of the batting order, with all-rounder Rahul Tewatia coming to the side. Among the bowlers, Varun Chakravarthy replaced his KKR teammate Kuldeep Yadav while Bhogle kept a toss-up between Chahal and Rahul Chahar for the other spinner’s slot.

Harsha Bhogle’s India ODI playing XI for Sri Lanka series: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Harsha Bhogle’s India T20I playing XI for Sri Lanka series: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar/Yuzvendra Chahal