Rohit Sharma Likely To Make Himself Available For ODI Series Against Sri Lanka - Report

Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma can be seen in action during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka next month. According to a report in Cricbuzz on Wednesday (July 17), ahead of India’s team selection for the white-ball tour of the island nation, 37-year-old Rohit, who became the third Indian captain to win an ICC trophy last month, ‘may make himself available’ for the three ODIs in August.

Having already retired from T20Is, Rohit may cut short his vacation and return to play in the three ODIs against Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 2, 4, and 7, respectively. He is expected to inform the BCCI of his availability before the selection meeting, which is expected to take place online on Wednesday.

If Rohit, who led India to the ODI World Cup final last year, decides to play, he will captain the side.

The news of Rohit’s availability comes a day after it was reported on Tuesday that new head coach Gautam Gambhir wants Rohit, Kohli, and Bumrah to play in the ODI series next month.

While Rohit may be seen playing in ODIs against Sri Lanka, it is highly unlikely that Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will feature in the three 50-over matches.

The Cricbuzz report has also added that Kolkata Knight Riders captain and star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who was excluded from BCCI’s central contract list earlier this year, is expected to be part of the ODI team along with KL Rahul, but star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss the ODI leg of the Sri Lanka series due to personal reasons.

If Rohit decides to remain unavailable for the ODIs, then Rahul will lead the side just like he did in the last ODI series against South Africa in December 2023.

Surya to lead in ODIs?

As for the leadership role in T20Is, there’s a two-way fight between star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and former world No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav. Given his history of fitness-related issues, it has been reported that head coach Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar want Suryakumar to take charge of the T20I side instead of Hardik Pandya.