Sri Lanka opt to bat in first ODI against India

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka has won the toss and they have opted to bat first against India at the R Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

It will be a toss-up between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeping spot as India will take on Sri Lanka in the first match of the ODI series at the R Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

The series will be ideal for Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir to focus on some key areas that need immediate attention. Should India include both Rahul and Pant, the only way they can accommodate Shreyas Iyer another pillar in the middle-order is if they play with just 5 bowling options. That will be a big gamble to take, and harsh on Iyer.

Whoever gets the nod, they will play a significant role to play going forward especially for the team balance. To accommodate one of them, India will have to take the tough call of choosing two from Rahul, Pant and Shreyas. The three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka will be India’s first since the one against South Africa in January and their last one before they face England next February at home.

IND Vs SL: Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Mohamed Shiraz, Asitha Fernando

Charitha Asalanka's ODI Captaincy Debut

It is also the first game for Charith Asalanka as the ODI captain, and he would be hoping that he leads from the front with the bat, and the middle order fires in this game, something which they could no do in the T20I series. Overall, it promises to be a cracking game with quality players in both the teams, and let's see how things pan out.

--Agencies