Does Rishabh Pant walk back into the ODI setup? Who among those who got a gig in Zimbabwe will get an extended run in Sri Lanka? ESPNcricinfo looks at a number of questions facing the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee in the lead-up to the Sri Lanka tour , which begins with three T20Is from July 27.
Will Rohit, Kohli, Bumrah play the Sri Lanka ODIs?
In his role as a media professional, new India head coach Gautam Gambhir has previously been critical of senior players resting between high-profile assignments. But with India slated to play 10 Tests from September to January (five at home and five in Australia, all part of the 2023-25 WTC cycle) there is a possibility that Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for the Sri Lanka ODIs, leaving the selectors to pick a new 50-overs captain as well.
Is KL Rahul the obvious choice as stand-in ODI captain?
KL Rahul stood in as captain when India last played ODIs, in South Africa last December. If fully fit, Rahul is likely to return to ODI setup as a middle-order batter at the very least, if not as a wicketkeeper too - a role he performed during India's run to the 2023 World Cup final. There's also familiarity between Rahul and Gambhir, the pair having worked together as captain-coach previously at Lucknow Super Giants.
However, there could be a consideration made for Shubman Gill , who incidentally just led India to the 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe. Over the past year, Gill has become a dominant force in ODIs - he's the second-highest run-getter worldwide in the format since the start of 2023.
Whether Rishabh Pant, for the first time since his accident in December 2022, returns to the ODI setup and takes the gloves will be another big call for the Agarkar-led committee to make. Rahul aside, they also have a formidable wicketkeeping option in Sanju Samson , who struck his maiden international century in India's most-recent ODI, against South Africa late last year. Samson's overall ODI numbers are laudable - he has three half-centuries and a century in 14 innings (average 56.66), while scoring at nearly a run-a-ball (strike rate 99.60).
What about Shreyas Iyer?
Shreyas Iyer lost his BCCI central contract this February, seemingly for failing to prioritise domestic cricket by not turning up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. Iyer cited persistent back trouble, which " no one was agreeing with ", as one of the reasons for that. However, since then Iyer has turned things around by leading Kolkata Knight Riders to their first IPL triumph in ten years. Iyer has a prolific ODI record too - he was India's third highest-run scorer in the 50-overs World Cup, behind Rohit and Kohli, hitting 530 runs in 11 innings including two hundreds and three fifties. He also hit the second-most sixes in the tournament.
Who from the Zimbabwe series could find a look-in in Sri Lanka?
With Rohit likely to rest, Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a strong pitch to earn a maiden ODI cap. Jaiswal, a reserve opener in India's T20 World Cup winning squad, struck a 53-ball 93 last week in Harare to seal the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Ravindra Jadeja's T20I retirement could pave way for Washington Sundar 's inclusion. Washington is coming off a Player of the Series winning performance in Zimbabwe; he finished the series with eight wickets in five matches at an economy of 5.16.
Abhishek Sharma , who struck a maiden T20I ton in only his second international innings, and Ruturaj Gaikwad could be picked as reserve openers for the T20Is and ODIs respectively.
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