The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed the Indian team for the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka, ending all the speculation on the team composition and their ODI World Cup preparations.
The Men in Blue will face Sri Lanka to start the new year after a disastrous tour that saw Team India lose the ODI series against Bangladesh for the first time since 2015. Next month, Sri Lanka will visit India for a white series in which the two teams would play three T20 Internationals and three ODIs. The two South Asian juggernauts have a long history of the rivalry. India has triumphed 17 times, while the Lankan Lions have won 8 times, in a total of 26 T20Is between the two teams. They have also played a staggering 162 ODIs, with India dominating the count once more with 93 victories.
After an impressive 2022, Hardik Pandya could be seen playing a more prominent role in Indian cricket in the year ahead. The all-rounder will continue to lead India’s T20 team in the three-match series against Sri Lanka starting January 3 in Mumbai with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy. Additionally, Pandya has replaced KL Rahul as the vice-captain in ODIs. Rohit Sharma, who suffered a thumb injury during an ODI match against Bangladesh, will be back to take the lead in the ODIs.
India will miss key players in the upcoming series
Veteran players Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have also been dropped from the T20I squad. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have rejoined the T20 fold in place of Rishabh Pant, who has been axed following a spate of subpar performances in T20s. In place of Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the selectors went with a young-pace attack for the T20Is against Sri Lanka. Shami was dropped from the most recent tour of Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury but is now back in the ODI lineup for the first time since the tour of England in June–July.
Shikhar Dhawan has been dropped from the ODI team following a disappointing performance in Bangladesh, where he made only 18 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 51.42. He may find it challenging to make a comeback for the domestic World Cup in October-November after earning this dismissal at such a crucial time. The Death over specialist Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sidelined since the T20 World Cup, has recovered but isn’t ready to return yet. Umran Malik, an express pacer from Jammu, has been granted a spot in both formats.
Although the team was chosen by the retiring selection committee, which was directed by Chetan Sharma, it is pretty obvious that the decision was influenced by BCCI. The BCCI has set up the Indian squad to play 11 matches in January alone, including six ODIs, as they prepare for the ODI World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to be held in India.
India vs Sri Lanka Schedule:
T20I series
- 1st T20I: January 3 (Mumbai)
- 2nd T20I: January 5 (Pune)
- 3rd T20I: January 7 (Rajkot)
ODIs series
- 1st ODIs: January 10 (Guwahati)
- 2nd ODIs: January 12 (Kolkata)
- 3rd ODIs: January 15 (Thiruvananthapuram)
Where to watch India vs Sri Lanka series 2023
The Sri Lanka trip will be televised live on the Star Sports Network channels and streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app. DD Sports is another place where fans can watch India vs. Sri Lanka matches.
Indian squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka
Indian squad for T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar.
Indian squad for ODIs: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.