3 India Players who will look to make the most of ODIs against Sri Lanka
India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series, just months ahead of the World Cup. The marquee tournament will be held in India in October.
In three matches against Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue will look to solve their existing conundrums - who will open, search for a genuine all-rounder, and death overs bowling.
The ODIs will be held on January 10, 12, and 15 in Guwahati, Kolkata, and Trivandrum respectively.
Here are three Indian players who will look to make the most of the Ind vs SL series:
#3 KL Rahul
KL Rahul has added several dimensions to his game to keep his place in the playing XI. He kept wickets, opened the innings, batted at No. 5, donned the hat of vice-captain, and more. But despite this, 2022 was a forgettable year for the Karnataka batsman.
With captain Rohit Sharma returning to the side, there is one opening slot available - for which Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill have also put their hands up.
This means that Rahul, if he gets a chance, may have to bat lower down. But in the 13 ODIs that he has played at number five, he has scored 548 runs at an impressive average of 49.8.
KL Rahul is preparing for the upcoming ODI series 😎
📸: KL Rahul
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He will look to make good use of the chances he gets in this series and get back in the good books of fans and selectors.
#2 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was India's leading run-getter in 2022, having scored nearly 1,500 runs across all three formats. Yet, he was not part of the squad for the T20 World Cup. Even in ODIs, he faces stiff competition from Suryakumar Yadav.
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Shreyas Iyer had a great 2022 🙌🏻💯
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The Mumbai batsman will look to start 2023 with a bang and also move ahead in the already-crowded race for a middle-order berth.
#1 Umran Malik
With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out due to fitness concerns, 23-year-old Umran Malik is expected to get playing time in the ODIs against Sri Lanka. The young speedster from Jammu and Kashmir was impressive during the recently concluded T20 series and emerged as the highest wicket-taker.
He picked 7 wickets in the three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka.
He will look to continue the momentum and make a claim for a berth at the ODI World Cup.
Which of these players do you think will shine in the India vs Sri Lanka ODI series that starts tomorrow?