Rohit Sharma to Lead Team India in ODI Series Against Sri Lanka

Rohit Sharma will captain Team India in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, as announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday.

Notable comebacks in the squad include Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. Shreyas Iyer, recently excluded from the BCCI central contract, has also been named in the ODI squad. Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in the 2024 IPL under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, who is now on his first assignment as head coach of Team India.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who recently retired from T20 cricket, will be seen playing together in the 50-over format. Shubman Gill has been appointed as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana received their maiden call-ups to the ODI squad.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka will begin on July 27 with a three-match T20I series, followed by the ODI series starting on August 2. The Pallekele International Stadium will host the T20I matches, while the R Premadasa Stadium will host the ODIs.

The three ODIs are scheduled for August 2, August 4, and August 7. Both teams will be fielding new head coaches, with legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya as the interim head coach for Sri Lanka and Gautam Gambhir making his debut as head coach for India, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India’s last bilateral white-ball series in Sri Lanka was in July 2021, where India, coached by Dravid and led by Shikhar Dhawan, won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka claimed the T20I series 2-1.