Team India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir has likely asked Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah to play in the ODI match against Sri Lanka, according to media reports. Gambhir wants the players to participate since they will have a long break after the Sri Lanka tour before starting their home Test series against Bangladesh on September 19. However, reports indicate that none of the three players have confirmed their availability for the ODI series yet.
The ODI series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to start on August 2, with the second and third matches on August 4 and 7. This series will be Gautam Gambhir’s first tour as Team India’s Head Coach.
Suryakumar Yadav likely to captain India’s T20I against Sri Lanka: Coach Gautam Gambhir
Suryakumar Yadav, who led India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa last year, is the top choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. According to a PTI report, Gambhir and Agarkar have already discussed this change with Hardik Pandya, letting him know they are working on a long-term plan for stability. The T20 leadership role became open after Rohit Sharma retired from T20 internationals following India’s World Cup win in the West Indies last month.
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Yadav to captain till 2026 World Cup
A BCCI source, speaking anonymously to news agency PTI, said, “Hardik Pandya was India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is fully fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the team. However, there is a strong belief that Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) will be the potential leader, not only for the Sri Lanka series but until the 2026 World Cup.”
Pandya to take break due to ‘personal reasons’
Hardik Pandya, one of the key players in the T20 World Cup victory, will take a break during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka for “personal reasons.” The T20Is against Sri Lanka are scheduled from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele. According to an official quoted by PTI, “Hardik’s break from the ODIs is for very personal reasons. He doesn’t have any fitness issues as some media reports suggest.”
