5 players who missed out on a spot in the ODI squad to face Sri Lanka
On the verge of whitewashing Sri Lanka in the Test series, India announced their ODI and T20I squad that will take on Sri Lanka. Although not known for making wholesale changes to the squad, India did just that as they rested several stars, including much of the bowling department in Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
That meant that there will be a new-look bowling line-up for the series that will include the likes of Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Shardul Thakur. Dinesh Karthik, who was brought in as an injury replacement for Manish Pandey, made way for the Karnataka batsman, who topped the scoring charts in the recently-concluded A team Tri-series in South Africa.
While there were some surprise picks, there were also some who were unlucky to miss out on a spot in the side. Here are 5 players who were unlucky to miss out on a spot in the ODI and T20I squad to face Sri Lanka:
Shreyas Iyer
While some players have taken the IPL route to the Indian team recently, Shreyas Iyer has been knocking on the door of national selection after consistent performances for Mumbai in the domestic circuit. However, once again, he has failed to make the cut despite finishing as the third-leading run-getter in the A-team tri-series that India won in South Africa.
Having already been named in the Indian Test squad as cover for the injured Virat Kohli in the Test series against Australia, Iyer has already had a taste of international cricket, albeit from the sidelines. While he will find it incredibly difficult to break into the settled Test side, he must have thought he had a chance of making the ODI squad, especially after his impressive performance in the recently-concluded tri-series in South Africa.
After scoring an unbeaten century in the final against South Africa A, the 22-year-old showed that the big occasion doesn't faze him at all. He will be hoping that it is a question of when and not if he will play for India.