India’s ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma, who was initially excused from the tour of Sri Lanka, has agreed to join the team following a request from newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir. Sharma was previously resting after a long IPL2024 and T20 World Cup 2024 season.
Gambhir had urged senior players, including Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah, to participate in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, emphasizing the importance of these matches in preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma comes back for the Sri Lanka series
Team India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma is set to play for the team in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. The India’s tour of Sri Lanka starts on July 26 and will comprise of 3 ODI matches and 3 T20I matches.
Rohit Sharma along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja has retired from the shortest format of cricket after the WT20C2024. Sharma has been resting and enjoying vacations in the USA since then.
However, when the team’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir reached out, wanting Rohit and Virat to play the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma agreed. Virat on the other hand, did not reply to Gambhir’s call.
Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah stay out of the Sri Lanka tour
Meanwhile, the T20 world Cup 2024 stars Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli will not be playing in the ODI series. They are scheduled to return to international cricket in the two-Test series against Bangladesh at home.
The test series against Bangladesh is part of the current World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. Additionally, Hardik Pandya has withdrawn from the ODI series due to personal reasons. Earlier either Pandya and KL Rahul were speculated to be the captain for Sri Lanka tour.
Shreyas Iyer is also set to rejoin the team. Iyer last played an ODI on December 17, 2023, against South Africa. He featured in only one match of the three-ODI series under Rahul’s leadership.
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