3 major concerns for Team India after their ODI series loss to Sri Lanka ft. the pace battery
India suffered their first ODI series loss to Sri Lanka in 27 years as the hosts beat them 2-0 in Colombo. The dust has since settled on the assignment, but without much cricket on the calendar, it's the right time to reflect on it.
There were a few positives for India. Rohit Sharma continued his excellent form in the powerplay, while the young spin-bowling all-rounders impressed. The team also got the chance to test out several players in various roles.
However, it's arguable that there are more questions than answers at the end of the rubber. As the Men in Blue build towards the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2027 World Cup, they need to iron out quite a few kinks that are creeping in.
On that note, here are three major concerns for Team India from their ODI series loss to Sri Lanka.
#3 India's key players endured concerning outings due to contrasting reasons
It was an extremely concerning sign that KL Rahul was dropped from the XI for the third ODI. The batter has been one of the cornerstones of India's middle order over the last two years and has come up with plenty of valuable contributions.
Others, meanwhile, endured a tough series. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer couldn't get going, while Shubman Gill was a long way off his best. The fact that three players who scored a truckload of runs in the 2023 World Cup showed a lack of both form and application wasn't a promising indication.
Even in the bowling department, senior bowlers like Mohammed Siraj were off the pace. Speaking of which...
#2 The pace attack might be in trouble going forward
With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami rested, India had Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh as their frontline pacers for the first two ODIs before fielding only one specialist quick in the final game. Both Siraj and Arshdeep were hugely unimpressive, with the former, in particular, dishing out disastrous displays.
Siraj and Arshdeep couldn't find much penetration with the new ball and didn't get their plans right at other stages of the innings. While there wasn't much help on offer, they didn't resort to cutters and instead saw their pace-on deliveries taken for a host of boundaries.
India didn't hand Harshit Rana a debut, and the pace attack might be in some trouble going forward if the senior bowlers don't step up.
#1 There doesn't seem to be enough role clarity
Gautam Gambhir and the think tank wanted all their batters to be tested in different situations, but what that meant is that the series ended without much role clarity in that department.
Shreyas and Rahul were shunted up and down the order, while Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube's ideal positions weren't ascertained either. Even in the lone game he played, Riyan Parag batted after the top and middle order had already been demolished.
The coaching staff mentioned that they are focusing on the stage of the game and not the positions themselves, but they should've surely given their frontline batters and all-rounders more defined roles.