India’s likely squads for SL tour: Suryakumar over Hardik as T20I captain; Rohit, Kohli back in ODIs?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to name the much-anticipated squad for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.

The team is slated to play three T20Is starting July 27, followed by a three-match ODI contest between August 3 and 7.While the T20I series will mark a fresh new beginning for the newly-crowned T20 World Cup champions, the ODI series will kick off India’s preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy next year.

The tour will also be Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as the new India head coach. With questions aplenty on the team selections for ODIs and T20Is, we look at the probable squad the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee might pick for the tour of Sri Lanka…

Hardik Pandya vs Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain

Hardik, who was the vice-captain of India’s T20 World Cup-winning side, should be the ideal candidate to replace Rohit Sharma as captain. However, the selectors could go the other way, given his struggles with injuries. This will force the board to manage his workload in the white-ball format to keep him fit for the Champions Trophy in February next year. Who could be India’s next option? If media reports are believed to be true, Suryakumar Yadav, who captained India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa last year, emerged as a surprise frontrunner for the role. According to a PTI report on Tuesday, Gambhir and Agarkar both spoke to Hardik about the change of plan with the management set to pick a T20I skipper till the 2026 World Cup.

Will Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah return?

The trio have reportedly extended their break after the T20 World Cup campaign, citing the gruelling last three months, which included the IPL 2024 season. They also keep in mind that India will play 10 Test matches this year—five at home (a series against Bangladesh and New Zealand) and five in Australia. While Gambhir would be keen on having Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah in the ODI squad in a bid to get his best perspective for the Champions Trophy next year, given that India will play just one of the series in the format before the tournament, selectors have reportedly agreed to their request of an extended break.

Who will be the stand-in ODI captain?

With Rohit missing out and Hardik reportedly opting out of the ODI series, India will have to name a new stand-in skipper in ODIs. KL Rahul would be one of the contenders, having led India in the last ODI series in South Africa last December. Not to forget, Gambhir has worked with Rahul previously in a coach-captain combination for Lucknow Super Giants. Hence, if Rahul does return to the ODI set-up, he could be named the stand-in skipper.

Besides Rahul, the selectors could also give Shubman Gill an opportunity, who recently led India to a 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe. The other option include Rishabh Pant, who is all set to play his first ODI match since his accident in December 2022.

Will Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan return?

Both were key players in the Indian set-up across formats until the final quarter of 2023, when the BCCI ignored them for the annual contracts earlier in February after they disobeyed the board’s order to be involved in domestic cricket action when away from international duty. Neither were considered for the T20 World Cup or the Zimbabwe tour; however, it is yet to be seen whether the selectors would want to give them a look in for the Sri Lanka series.

Which players from the Zimbabwe series could make the T20I and ODI squads for the Sri Lanka tour?

With Rohit out, Yashasvi Jaiswal could be considered as Gill’s opening partner. After a sensational start to his Test career, including a record-breaking series against England at home earlier this year, and in T20I cricket, the left-hander has made a strong pitch to earn a maiden ODI cap. Meanwhile, the likes of Abhishek Sharma, who scored a stunning century against Zimbabwe, and Ruturaj Gaikawad, who adapted well to both the No. 3 and 4 roles, could also be considered for both the series. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar, who was named as the Player of the Series after picking eight wickets in five games, would be added to the T20I list as Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement.

India’s probable ODI and T20I squad for Sri Lanka series –

ODI: KL Rahul (C), Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja/Tilak Verma, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube/Rinku Singh

T20I: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Tilak Varma/Abhishek Sharma/Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan/Khaleel Ahmed/Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi