The second-string Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan will take on Sri Lanka for 3 ODIs and T20Is each. The first-choice Indian team is currently in England for their 5-match Test series. Indian selection panel committee led by Chetan Sharma selected a fresh team for the Sri Lankan team. There are as many as 5 new players in the Indian team for the Sri Lankan tour. VVS Laxman picks his preferred Indian XI for the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
VVS Laxman picks his preferred Indian XI for the ODI series against SL
Former Indian captain and current U-19 coach, Rahul Dravid will head the team in Sri Lanka. This will mark his first tenure as India’s first-team head coach. Dravid has previously served as India’s batting consultant in 2014 on their England tour.
Since there are several new faces in the squad, few of them will be donning the national cap for the first time. The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan, who are capped in at least one format, are also expected to play the format which they haven’t played at the highest level.
Shikhar Dhawan is left with plenty of options, especially in the batting department, to select from in the playing 11. While a couple of newbies are expected to receive their first Indian cap, experienced batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Prithvi Shaw are also set to make their debut in the ODI.
2 debutants, no place for Ishan Kishan: VVS Laxman picks his India playing XI for Sri Lanka ODIs
Indian legend VVS Laxman has suggested his playing 11 for the upcoming ODI series. Speaking to Star Sports, Laxman revealed his preferred playing 11 which included debutants- Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson for the ODIs.
Both, Yadav and Samson, have played for India in T20Is but are yet to feature in ODIs. Interestingly, Samson made his Indian debut in 2014 but hasn’t played a single ODI match.
According to Laxman, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw should open for the ‘Men in Blue’, with Suryakumar in a one-down spot. Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Manish Pandey also made it to the list. Mumbai Indian’s Ishan Kishan is not included in the side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar are two fast bowlers in VVS’ XI while Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are two spinners.
VVS Laxman’s playing XI:
Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal.
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