Gokul Gopal

Some of the Test regulars have left Sri Lanka, making way for the limited-overs’ specialists. Those changes apart, the mood in the Virat Kohli-led camp remains what is was during their dominating run that paved way for a 3-0 clean-sweep of the Test series. A 5-0 whitewash in the One-Day International series isn’t a far-fetched notion, considering the contrasting fortunes of the teams in question in recent times, and in case India do achieve that it will propel them to the second spot in the ICC ODI rankings, edging out Australia on decimal points and just two points shy of the top-ranked South Africa.

The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha have made way for the ODI and T20I stars to take centre stage. That the Indian selectors could afford to rest R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami, and leave out Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, is a clear reflection of the abundant resources available.

Shikhar Dhawan’s good run recently and the return of Rohit Sharma have made them a certainty at the top of the order, followed by the Indian skipper. KL Rahul is too good a batsman for the Indian selectors to ignore. The versatility he brings to the table when it comes to the different formats and a rich vein of form preceding the limited-overs games has resulted in the MSK Prasad-led panel assuring him a position at No. 4.

“We are going to try out KL Rahul at No. 4 in this series,” Prasad had said a few days back. “He is too good a player to sit out. Because Shikhar and Rohit are in very good form, that’s what we saw in the Champions Trophy, we will start with KL in that particular order. These are different permutations and combinations we will keep trying till the end of this year and we will boil down to one particular pattern and then we will continue with that.”

What this means is a direct toss-up between Manish Pandey, who scored a truckload of runs against South Africa A after returning from injury, and Kedar Jadhav, who has proven to be a crucial cog on a few occasions in the past. In MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, India have the ideal finishers at No. 6 and 7, although the former India captain hasn’t been able to complete games as well as he did in the past. With the all-round skills that Axar Patel possesses, India’s batting order is flourishing with riches.

And such are the riches that Ajinkya Rahane, who scored four fifty-plus scores in successive innings in the West Indies, including one three-figure score, isn’t guaranteed a spot in the eleven despite Kohli indicating at that time that Rahane has the potential to play the role of a floater.

It isn’t any different when it comes to India’s bowling line-up. The confidence that Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar offer as the front-line seam options, presence of quality spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, along with the all-round options of Pandya and Axar, make India’s bowling unit a well-rounded one. Should a niggle hinder the pace options, a talented option in Shardul Thakur comes handy.

Overall, it’s a happy headache for the Indian team management and the selection panel, which had proposed a policy of rotation towards building the core for the World Cup that is a couple of years away.

What’s the situation when it comes to the opposition camp?

Firstly, with the qualification cut-off date of September 30 fast approaching, they’ll have to win at least two matches to earn an automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. Securing a couple of victories is easier said than done, taking into picture their recent travails.

A 5-0 loss to South Africa at the start of the year, a drawn series against Bangladesh, an early exit during the ICC Champions Trophy and a loss to Zimbabwe in the ODI series not too long ago have left the fans of the Island Nation crest-fallen. A record chase in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe might have lifted their spirits, but the ground reality of Sri Lanka’s struggles in cricket came to the fore during the Test drubbing against India.

“Sri Lanka dominated in all three formats for a good 18 years – don’t forget this now when we are going through a rough patch. Obviously there are some things we can’t openly discuss due to strategic reasons but there are certain areas behind the scenes that need to fall into place for us. These areas are being taken care of, and we are seeing the results behind the scenes – however it will take a little more time for it to be seen externally, so please have patience, and most importantly have faith,” said ODI captain Upul Tharanga, pleading the fans to show patience. But how much longer can they remain patient?

When it comes to talent, Sri Lanka have that in plenty but those have hardly translated into telling performances. The retirements of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan did leave the team barren, but the transitional phase has gone on for a while now, and for the Sri Lankan fans it seems like an eternity. Since January 2016, Sri Lanka have won only 10 of the 35 ODIs they have played and this year alone they have lost 11 out of 16.

But there is a tiny silver lining amid their struggles – one that they will prefer to reflect on ahead of the five-match ODI series against India; in the Champions Trophy, they had managed to surprise India by chasing down 322 and Tharanga’s side will be hoping that effort wasn’t a flash in the pan, but a reflection of Sri Lanka’s capability and a sign of things to come.

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga (c), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando

India: Virat Kohli(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah