India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir has urged senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to make themselves available for the ODI series against Sri Lanka next month. Recently retired from T20Is, India’s opening duo Rohit and Kohli along with pace-bowling spearhead Bumrah were expected to skip the Sri Lanka tour but Gambhir wants them to play as he looks to build the team ahead of Champions Trophy 2025.
As per a report by Indian Express, Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah are still to respond to Gambhir as they are spending time with families after T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in Barbados.
Gambhir urged the seniors keeping in mind that the players will have another long break after the Sri Lanka tour. India are scheduled to play a two-Test series at home against Bangladesh. The series holds importance and a full-strength squad will be named considering it is a part of the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has asked for leave from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) citing personal reasons. However, he is highly likely to lead in the three-T20I series on Sri Lankan soil as successor of recently retired T20I captain Rohit. There were rumours that Pandya sustained an injury which were found to be untrue.
Schedule for Sri Lanka tour
The ODI series will be played from August 2 to 7. Before the ODI series, the T20I series will be played from July 27 to 30. India’s last ODI series was against South Africa in December 2023. KL Rahul captained the ODI side in absence of Rohit.
Rahul not automatic choice to captain in Rohit’s absence
Earlier, Rahul was expected to lead the Indian side in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Naturally, if Rohit agrees for the tour, he will lead the side. However, if Rohit decides to skip the tour, Rahul may not be the only candidate for the captaincy role. Opener Shubman Gill who led India to a 4-1 win against Zimbabwe in the T20I series last week is another option being considered.
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