Rohit Sharma to lead India in Sri Lanka ODIs, Virat Kohli returns; Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana earn call-ups

The BCCI has announced India's much-anticipated squad for the upcoming three-game ODI series in Sri Lanka to be led by Rohit Sharma. While initial reports hinted at the unavailabilty of Virat Kohli and Sharma, the star pair have been named in the squad for the 50-over matches, with the former set to lead in Gautam Gambhir's first series as coach.

Kohli and Rohit haven't played ODI cricket since the hearbreaking events of November 19 when India lost the 2023 World Cup final to Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The pair skipped the T20I series in Zimbabwe after scripting India's second T20 World Cup victory this year. In the process, the duo also announced their T20I retirement. Jasprit Bumrah, nevertheless, remains rested after a heavy workload during the T20 World Cup.

Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana are the two uncapped players in the squad. Parag, who received his first T20I call-up on the back of a fantastic IPL season for the series against Zimbabwe, remains uncapped in ODIs. Rana, the right-arm seamer played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL 2024 win, and will have an opportunity to play in the ODIs. He was in the squad for the T20I tour of Zimbabwe, but didn't play.

ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Rishabh Pant set to play for India in ODIs for the first time since 2022

Among the wicketkeepers, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have been named in the squad. Pant marked his return to international cricket in T20 World Cup 2024, playing some crucial knocks after being promoted to No. 3. However, he last played ODIs in November 2022.

The BCCI also issued a note that they will continue to monitor player availability and participation according to the domestic cricket's schedule of 2024-25. India and Sri Lanka will start with the T20I leg in Pallekele, while Colombo will stage the ODIs on August 2, 4, and 7.