Suryakumar To Captain India In T20I Series Against Sri Lanka; Rohit To Lead In ODIs

Suryakumar to captain India in T20I series against Sri Lanka; Rohit to lead in ODIs (ld) (Image Source: IANS)

Right-handed batter Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain for India’s T20I series against Sri Lanka, while veteran opener Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the side in the ODI leg of the tour. While announcing the squad post a selection committee meeting on Thursday evening, the BCCI added that Shubman Gill, who led India to a 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph last month in Barbados, will be the vice-captain in both white-ball series, starting from July 27 in Pallekele.

Suryakumar, who is ranked No.2 in ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, has captained the Mumbai team in the Indian domestic cricket circuit in all formats. He also led India to a 4-1 T20I win over Australia last November following the ODI World Cup final and then captained India to a 1-1 series draw in South Africa in December 2023.

Interestingly, Gill has been named the new T20I vice-captain ahead of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who held the role in the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Along with Suryakumar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, Pandya, and Ravi Bishnoi have been selected only for the T20I series.

Rishabh Pant is included in both T20I and ODI squads, as are Shivam Dube, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Khaleel Ahmed. Along with Rohit, Virat Kohli, K.L. Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer are joining in for the 50-over leg of the Sri Lanka tour, which serves as crucial preparation for India in the run-up to the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Riyan Parag, who made his T20I debut on the Zimbabwe tour, and Harshit Rana, who was in the squad for the first two games following an impressive IPL 2024 ending in Kolkata Knight Riders triumph, have now received maiden ODI call-ups to the Indian team. Jasprit Bumrah, Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup, has been entirely rested from the tour of Sri Lanka.

India will arrive in Sri Lanka on July 22, and begin their tour with back-to-back T20Is on July 27 and 28, followed by the series-ending game on July 30. The scene then shifts to the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo hosting three ODIs on August 2, 4 and 7 respectively.

The tour to Sri Lanka is Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as India’s head coach, following Rahul Dravid’s tenure ending with the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last month. The BCCI added that it will continue to monitor player availability and participation in the upcoming domestic cricket season 2024-25.

India will arrive in Sri Lanka on July 22, and begin their tour with back-to-back T20Is on July 27 and 28, followed by the series-ending game on July 30. The scene then shifts to the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo hosting three ODIs on August 2, 4 and 7 respectively.

India ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.