Sri Lanka v India, 1st ODI: India Predicted XI

After a thumping whitewash of the hosts, SriLanka, in their own backyard, the Indians are set to lock horns with the Lions in the limited overs format. The 5-match One Day International series between the two Asian giants is scheduled to commence from the 20th of August i.e tomorrow. The Indian team saw quite a few significant changes in the team that was announced by chief selector MSK Prasad for the series.

Quashing all rumors of a possible break, Virat Kohli will very much be a part of the team and is ready to lead the side. Among the senior cricketers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made it successfully into the squad while left handers Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were left out.Primary bowlers Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin were given a much-deserved rest along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

The opportunity paved the way for several youngsters into the squad in the name of Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey and Shardul Thakur. The series will mark head coach Ravi Shastri’s first series in the colored jersey after taking over as the Indian head coach for the second time. Taking into consideration all the factors here is the predicted XI of the Indian team when they take on a Upul Tharanga led Sri Lankan side:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma)

The left hand-right hand combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma proved to be a massive success for the men in blue in the Champions Trophy. The duo put on a staggering 384 runs in 5 matches in the mega ICC event which rode India all the way to the final. Shikhar Dhawan also had an incredible Test campaign against Sri Lanka where he was awarded the Man of the Series award. The batsman rediscovered himself as a Test player in the absence of Murali Vijay and has now made it tough for Vijay to regain his spot.

Rohit Sharma was also included in the Test squad but unfortunately did not get a cap. Sharma also proved himself to be a consistent opener in the limited formats and Virat Kohli is unlikely to change this combination for the first match.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni)

Virat Kohli is all set to take the field against the Lankans in the ODI series after spreading rumors about the captain being rested. The skipper will maintain his number 3 spot as there is no one better in handling pressure than him. The spot is regarded as one of the most important ones and the class and maturity of Virat Kohli will be perfect for the position.

The excellence of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the opening spot has forced KL Rahul down the order. Chief selector MSK Prasad had already announced that Rahul will be tested at the number 4 spot in this series. The composed batsman would not be a bad option at all and is expected to provide a lot of stability to the middle-order.

MS Dhoni will come out to bat next and there is no doubt about this man’s capabilities as a batsman. With the right amount of firepower that is needed in the lower middle order, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the definite choice for this position. The number 5th spot also allows Dhoni to play a holding inning when needed and will also give him the freedom to shift gears when required. However, it should be taken into notice that the selectors will be monitoring his performance closely in the series.

All-rounders (Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya)

India have two extremely talented all-rounders in the name of Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya is an obvious choice in the starting line up after proving his mettle in all the three formats of the game. The Baroda boy took the Indian Premier League by storm with a brilliant all-round display in the tournament which led to his selection in the ODIs. Pandya went on to express his talent in the 50 over format as well and his Champions Trophy final knock against Pakistan will be remembered for long. After being presented with his first Test cap, Hardik Pandya smashed a 50 in his debut innings. He then went to score a trailblazing century in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka. So Pandya is a blind choice at the moment and will be extremely crucial for the team.

Kedar Jadhav’s ability as a batsman and as a part-time bowler gives extra benefits to the team. While the batsman can be responsible when in need he can also dispatch a few sixes if asked to do so. Kedar Jadhav has also been effective in breaking partnerships with his unorthodox bowling action when the specialist bowlers fail to do the task.

Bowlers (Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah)

In the absence of primary spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, it will be a golden opportunity for Axar Patel to prove his worth. The bowler is likely to get the nod ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal considering his prowess as a batsman. Looking at the success of left arm spinners in cricket recently Patel will be an appropriate replacement for the Saurashtra spinner. Kuldeep Yadav is a guaranteed member of the squad because of his brilliance with the ball lately. The bowler has performed whenever he has been given the opportunity and seems like an obvious choice for Virat Kohli.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will lead the Indian pace attack while Shardul Thakur will have to wait for his opportunity. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been flawless with his bowling and is impossible to replace as far as the limited over games are concerned. Jasprit Bumrah had a decent Champions Trophy campaign and will pair up with Kumar to attack with the new ball.