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- Oct 2, 2004
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With the 2023 World Cup preparations entering its final stages, hosts India have a lot of firming up to do and a problem of plenty at hand as they take on gutsy Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series beginning Tuesday (January 10). Excluding the Asia Cup, to be played in 50-overs format this time around, India have 15 scheduled ODIs and hence workload management of the all-formats regulars will be the buzzword when you throw in an IPL, Australia Test series and a (probable) WTC finale in the mix.
Against that backdrop, on the eve of the series opener on Monday, the Indian team management took the call to not rush Jasprit Bumrah's comeback just yet on a precautionary note. The pace spearhead, who has been out of action since September last year, hadn't even made it to Guwahati - the venue for the first ODI. Among those who have, the focus now shifts to the remaining bunch of seniors who are on comeback trail - skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul - and the changes it brings to how India's top-order shapes up for the marquee event in October-November.
While Kohli and Rahul were rested, Rohit's thumb injury during the ODI leg of last month's tour of Bangladesh has seen him out of action for the two subsequent Tests and the just-concluded three-match T20I series against the islanders at home. It presented an opportunity for Ishan Kishan, who grabbed it with both hands by notching up a double century to push for a World Cup berth. Even though his left-handedness and wicketkeeping credentials add a lot of weightage to his case - what with India dropping Shikhar Dhawan from their plans and a question mark looming over Rishabh Pant's comeback post accident - India have confirmed Shubman Gill as their second opener.
By extension this nails down the frontline keeper's slot for KL Rahul despite his slightly wayward form of late, meaning the only middle-order conundrum for now is to pick one between the in-form duo of Suryakumar Yadav, who just hacked his third T20I century in under seven months, and the returning Shreyas Iyer.
Likewise, the bowling and the all-rounders' department are also brimming with in-form candidates. While it's a happy headache, the captain-coach duo will have some tough calls to make given that the backups have all impressed in their limited opportunities in the prolonged injury-forced absence of seniors like Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. It will boil down to Arshdeep Singh's left-handedness vs Umran Malik's express pace, and both of them could be in contention at some point in the series with Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj being their front-runners for now.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have a fairly similar squad from their 2-1 T20I series loss for the upcoming one-dayers and would hope to replicate their performances in the longer format. Barring the series decider in Rajkot, the visitors put up a tough fight in the T20Is when they came within striking distance of clinching the Mumbai game before actually pipping India by 16 runs in Pune to draw level. More of such competitive performances against India could give them the much-needed morale boost before they take on an already-qualified New Zealand in their last bid to snap the last-remaining automatic qualification berth for the World Cup, in March. With 77 points in 7 wins and 12 losses in the ongoing Super League, Sri Lanka are currently placed ninth - just outside of the qualification bracket.
Evidently, the format hasn't lately been their strong suit and against a near-strength India side, the task would be more daunting. As such, Sri Lanka would depend on their in-form opener Pathum Nissanka to provide more stability at the top in the 50-overs format, and their captain Dasun Shanaka to lead by example once again. A big miss on Sri Lanka's part has been the absence of Bhanuka Rajpaksa despite his exploits in the shortest format and on Indian tracks in the IPL. The tourists though have strengthened their bowling by handing a recall to legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay who can be quite handy in these conditions.
When: January 10, 2023 at 1:30 PM IST
Where: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
What to expect: A batting-friendly surface has been the norm in Guwahati. Early sunset in winters could bring dew into picture earlier than expected, and make chasing a prefered choice of the captains.
Team News
India
Fielding three spin choices in Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal will also give India batting depth right until no. 8. Shami and Siraj could share the new-ball duties in Bumrah's absence, with vice-captain Hardik Pandya being the third pace option.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka
Leggie Vandersay could get a look in for the visitors. Pacer Lahiru Kumara should also be back into the XI, ahead of the uncapped-in-ODIs Dilshan Madhushanka.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay
Did you know?
- Since 2019, KL Rahul averages 48.25 and strikes at 169.30 in the last 10 overs
- Between 2016-19, Virat Kohli averaged 114 against spin. Since then, the average has come down to 39.
What they said
"Both openers (Gill and Kishan) have done really well. But looking at how both have gone through, I think it is fair that we give Gill a fair run because in the last games Gill got a lot of runs" - Rohit Sharma
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Jeffrey Vandersay, Sadeera Samarawickrama
Against that backdrop, on the eve of the series opener on Monday, the Indian team management took the call to not rush Jasprit Bumrah's comeback just yet on a precautionary note. The pace spearhead, who has been out of action since September last year, hadn't even made it to Guwahati - the venue for the first ODI. Among those who have, the focus now shifts to the remaining bunch of seniors who are on comeback trail - skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul - and the changes it brings to how India's top-order shapes up for the marquee event in October-November.
While Kohli and Rahul were rested, Rohit's thumb injury during the ODI leg of last month's tour of Bangladesh has seen him out of action for the two subsequent Tests and the just-concluded three-match T20I series against the islanders at home. It presented an opportunity for Ishan Kishan, who grabbed it with both hands by notching up a double century to push for a World Cup berth. Even though his left-handedness and wicketkeeping credentials add a lot of weightage to his case - what with India dropping Shikhar Dhawan from their plans and a question mark looming over Rishabh Pant's comeback post accident - India have confirmed Shubman Gill as their second opener.
By extension this nails down the frontline keeper's slot for KL Rahul despite his slightly wayward form of late, meaning the only middle-order conundrum for now is to pick one between the in-form duo of Suryakumar Yadav, who just hacked his third T20I century in under seven months, and the returning Shreyas Iyer.
Likewise, the bowling and the all-rounders' department are also brimming with in-form candidates. While it's a happy headache, the captain-coach duo will have some tough calls to make given that the backups have all impressed in their limited opportunities in the prolonged injury-forced absence of seniors like Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. It will boil down to Arshdeep Singh's left-handedness vs Umran Malik's express pace, and both of them could be in contention at some point in the series with Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj being their front-runners for now.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have a fairly similar squad from their 2-1 T20I series loss for the upcoming one-dayers and would hope to replicate their performances in the longer format. Barring the series decider in Rajkot, the visitors put up a tough fight in the T20Is when they came within striking distance of clinching the Mumbai game before actually pipping India by 16 runs in Pune to draw level. More of such competitive performances against India could give them the much-needed morale boost before they take on an already-qualified New Zealand in their last bid to snap the last-remaining automatic qualification berth for the World Cup, in March. With 77 points in 7 wins and 12 losses in the ongoing Super League, Sri Lanka are currently placed ninth - just outside of the qualification bracket.
Evidently, the format hasn't lately been their strong suit and against a near-strength India side, the task would be more daunting. As such, Sri Lanka would depend on their in-form opener Pathum Nissanka to provide more stability at the top in the 50-overs format, and their captain Dasun Shanaka to lead by example once again. A big miss on Sri Lanka's part has been the absence of Bhanuka Rajpaksa despite his exploits in the shortest format and on Indian tracks in the IPL. The tourists though have strengthened their bowling by handing a recall to legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay who can be quite handy in these conditions.
When: January 10, 2023 at 1:30 PM IST
Where: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
What to expect: A batting-friendly surface has been the norm in Guwahati. Early sunset in winters could bring dew into picture earlier than expected, and make chasing a prefered choice of the captains.
Team News
India
Fielding three spin choices in Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal will also give India batting depth right until no. 8. Shami and Siraj could share the new-ball duties in Bumrah's absence, with vice-captain Hardik Pandya being the third pace option.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka
Leggie Vandersay could get a look in for the visitors. Pacer Lahiru Kumara should also be back into the XI, ahead of the uncapped-in-ODIs Dilshan Madhushanka.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay
Did you know?
- Since 2019, KL Rahul averages 48.25 and strikes at 169.30 in the last 10 overs
- Between 2016-19, Virat Kohli averaged 114 against spin. Since then, the average has come down to 39.
What they said
"Both openers (Gill and Kishan) have done really well. But looking at how both have gone through, I think it is fair that we give Gill a fair run because in the last games Gill got a lot of runs" - Rohit Sharma
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Jeffrey Vandersay, Sadeera Samarawickrama
It has nothing to do with Samson performing poorly. He is averaging 66 after 11 games. 
