BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly on Sunday informed that India will tour Sri Lanka for a limited-overs bilateral series in July. However, with the Test series happening in England at the same time, most of the first-choice players of the Indian side will not be available for the Sri Lankan tour.
Therefore, a squad of players who will not be taking part in the England tour will travel to Sri Lanka. The schedule was also released as BCCI has informed there will be 3 T20I matches and 3 ODI matches during India’s tour of Sri Lanka.
The present schedule is set, as the three-match ODI series is set to be played from 13-19 July, with a two-day rest between matches. The three-matches T20I series is set to begin on the 22nd of July with the 2nd and 3rd clashes to be played on the 24th and 27th July respectively.
Today we take a look at the predicted 15- member squad to take the field for the limited-over series in Sri Lanka.
Batsmen
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Manish Pandey
In the absence of Indian skipper Virat Kohli, senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan will be expected to lead the side and this will be his maiden stint as skipper leading the side for a whole series. His Delhi capital teammate, Prithvi Shaw is expected to open along his side who had shown tremendous form in the Indian Premier League.
Another exciting addition is of young Devdutt Padikkal, who is brimming with talent. Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav complete the list of batsmen as their limited experience in international cricket will prove to be useful.
Bowlers
Bhuveneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Kartik Tyagi, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Rahul Chahar
Bhuveneshwar Kumar will lead this young bowling lineup and will be India’s go-to man in this series. Making a comeback from injury, the Indian paceman has shown tremendous form in the limited over series against England. Deepak Chahar, Kartik Tyagi, and Navdeep Saini complete the pace bowling quartet, who will be keen to make their chances count and boost their chances to cement their place in the Indian team.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Rahul Chahar provide the spin options, both leg spinners, with Yuzvendra Chahal being the experience of the two, although Rahul Chahar has shown tremendous form in recent times.
Wicket-keepers
Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan
Upcoming wicketkeeper-batsman has been the talk of the town in recent times, making his debut during the limited over series against England. Having shown spectacular scoring abilities in the domestic league of India, he is someone to keep a lookout for.
Joining him will be Sanju Samson, who possesses buckets of talent though struggles for consistency. Again having a good showing in the Indian Premier League, it's yet to be seen if he can make good of his chances for the national side.
All-rounders
Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya
The famous Pandya brothers, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya fill-up the all-rounder's role. One being a pace-bowling all-rounder and the latter spin-bowling all-rounder. With Hardik Pandya being the most experienced of the two, his talents will prove valuable.
The 30-year old Krunal Pandya too showcased immense ability in the recently concluded limited-overs series against the English side, breaking the record for the fastest fifty by a debutant, scoring his fifty of just 26 balls.
With the abundance of players in the Indian cricket system, India are able to field multiple sides without serious drops in quality. This speaks to the caliber of Indian cricket.
Let us know your comments on our prediction for the squad of the India-Srilanka tour and who you think should have a chance of making it.
