New Delhi, 16/7:
New Delhi. Team India is starting its campaign in Sri Lanka (India vs Sri Lanka) with the ODI starting from 18th July. The biggest concern for coach Rahul Dravid and captain Shikhar Dhawan will be the selection of the ideal playing XI against Sri Lanka. India has many uncapped players who want to leave their mark and cement their place in the upcoming T20 World Cup squad. India has selected a 20-man team for the tour of Sri Lanka. In such a situation, there will be a lot of effort in choosing the playing 11. Let us tell you the probable playing 11 of Team India for the first ODI match:
Openers: Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw
Dhawan is the captain of the team and would like to score runs easily against Sri Lanka. He averages over 45 in ODIs and he would like to improve on that. Dhawan is sure to play all the matches as an opener. Dhawan’s chances of making a place in the T20 World Cup will increase as soon as he scores a century in the ODI series. Shaw, on the other hand, has also shown enough form to play the first ODI as an opener. After a poor series in Australia, he scored more than 800 runs in one season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. If he shines in the 50-over format, he will get a place in the T20 team as well.
Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey and Sanju Samson
Yadav has played only three T20Is in his career so far, but the confidence he shows while batting in the middle is tremendous. Looks like Yadav will play all six matches against Sri Lanka. And if he does well, he can also make a place in the senior team of India. This could be the last chance for Manish Pandey. The Bengaluru batsman has been on the margins for years, but has worked very hard to cement his place in the team. Talking about the T20 World Cup, it will be a little early for Pandey and his luck seems to be resting on this series. There is no doubt that Samson is one of the most talented players in the country, but in international cricket this batsman has failed so far. Samson is also seen playing in all ODIs.
All-rounders: Hardik and Krunal Pandya
All eyes will be on younger brother Hardik, who will be expected to bowl in the series. If he manages to prove his fitness in the bowling department, then it will be great news for Team India. He is set to play all the matches against Sri Lanka, but a lot will depend on how the management wants to deal with his workload. Krunal had done well in the ODI series against England and he will have to keep doing the same now. He is also seen playing all the ODIs and his presence will give good balance to the team.
Fast bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Navdeep Saini
Both the fast bowlers are making a comeback in the team after getting injured. The team’s vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar would like to impress the selectors to make it into the Test team again. He is seen playing all the matches here. Saini, on the other hand, has certainly impressed but he has to keep on taking wickets to become a regular member of the team. If this is not the case, Saini’s place was given
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal
This series will be do or die for Yadav, who has been battling form for the last two years. If he manages to regain his confidence, the T20 World Cup could be a game-changer. As far as Chahal is concerned, he has bowled well but has been unlucky in the last few series. If he gets some wickets, he will again become India’s number one spinner