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Rishabh Pant last played an ODI match for India on November 30, 2022. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Indian team management preferred KL Rahul over Pant as wicketkeeper-batter in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which finished in a tie after both teams scored 230 runs.
After failing to chase down the target of 231 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Friday (August 2), Indian men’s cricket team players would like to come up with a big show in the second match, which is scheduled to take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday (August 4). In the series opener, Indian batters, apart from skipper Rohit Sharma, failed to adjust to the challenging conditions and produced a flop show.
There will be high hopes from the likes of Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul to come up with an improved show in the second match.
For the second ODI of the ongoing three-match series, India can make a couple of changes to the playing XI. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was ignored for the first match, can get a game in place of Washington Sundar.
Sundar was only able to take one wicket for 46 runs in his quota of nine overs on Friday and then was dismissed for five runs from four balls.
Pant is an explosive middle-order batter, and his inclusion will add strength to India’s batting unit. But if Sundar is left out, then India will only have four bowlers and one all-rounder in Shivam Dube.
Another option for India is to include Riyan Parag in the playing XI in place of Sundar. Parag, who made his T20I debut for India last month against Zimbabwe, can contribute with both bat and ball. He proved his capabilities as a bowler during the first T20I between India and Sri Lanka last month, where he picked up three wickets for five runs.
India can include Parag and Pant both in the playing XI, but for that, one out of Iyer, Rahul, or Dube has to go out. Since Iyer and Rahul have performed well for India in the 50-over format of the game and Dube can be the third fast bowling option, there’s not much chance of this situation taking place.
India has won 99 out of 169 ODIs played so far against the Islanders, and a win over Charith Asalanka’s men on Sunday will help India become the first team to win 100 matches against one team.
India’s likely playing XI for the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.