3 Team India players who will not make the playing XI against Sri Lanka
Team India have begun preparations for their limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, starting on July 13. A number of new faces are expected to feature in the playing XI as India will be willing to put their best foot forward in the three ODIs and three T20Is.
With India set to play just three T20Is before the all-important T20 World Cup and the main currently in England for the five-Test series, it will be a brilliant opportunity for several youngsters as well as experienced fringe players to prove their mettle.
3 India players who may not get a game against Sri Lanka
Rahul Dravid, the Indian head coach for the Sri Lanka tour, had specified in the press conference that winning the series would be the priority. In such a scenario, a few Indian players might not make it to the playing XI in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.
With the 20-man squad being a huge contingent just for six games, here is a look at three Indian players who might unfortunately miss out on getting a chance against Sri Lanka.
#3 Krishnappa Gowtham
One of the surprising additions to the Indian squad is off-spinning all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham. With the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar currently part of India's main team in England, Gowtham might have been seen as an off-spinning option, who could also be effective with the bat.
Gowtham has been a stalwart of Karnataka cricket and was impressive in his first IPL season with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) back in 2018. In 15 games, he picked up 11 wickets and also scored 126 runs at a strike-rate of 196.87.
He created headlines once more in the Karnataka Premier League, scoring a hundred and picking up an eight-wicket haul in the same game. He was snapped up by the Punjab Kings and might have been looked at as a replacement for the outgoing Ashwin.
But things went downhill for Gowtham as he picked up just one wicket in two games and leaked runs at 10.50 runs per over in the IPL 2020 season. The Chennai Super Kings came calling for him at the IPL 2021 Auction and made Gowtham the costliest uncapped player of all time.
However, Gowtham didn't feature in the first half of the season. With almost no match practice under his belt and a number of other all-round and spinning options, it is highly unlikely that Gowtham might make his India debut against Sri Lanka.
#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad had a mixed bag IPL 2020 campaign as he had to recover from COVID-19. He was also unable to score consistently in the first few opportunities that he got. But he was able to redeem himself, scoring three back-to-back half-centuries towards the back end of the season.
He was in good form in the IPL 2021 season too, as he scored 196 runs in seven games, including a couple of half-centuries. He received a deserved call-up to the Indian squad owing to his performances in domestic cricket as well as in the IPL.
However, India already have a lot of depth in the opening department, with the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal likely to open alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan. Being fourth choice in the pecking order, Gaikwad might not get even a single game for India against Sri Lanka.
#1 Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana burst onto the scene in IPL 2017 for the Mumbai Indians, scoring 333 runs, including three half-centuries, in 13 games. The Kolkata Knight Riders snapped him up next season and the southpaw has been prolific for them ever since.
The IPL 2021 season began in fine style for Nitish Rana as he scored 136 runs in the first two games. However, he managed just 65 runs in the next five games as his form tapered off.
Rana is fighting for an opener's slot in the Indian team with the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. He is also in contention for the no.3 role alongside Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan. With so many options already available, it is unlikely to see Nitish Rana don the Indian jersey in Sri Lanka.