India's Virat Kohli (left) and head coach Gautam Gambhir share a light moment during a practice session, ahead of their first ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Credit: PTI
Pallekele: The rise in temperature from Pallekele is palpable, the humidity in the national capital is in the mid-80s. As Glenn Frey sang so famously in Beverly Hills Cop, the heat is on.
On the Sri Lankan team, primarily.
Three successive collapses of epic proportions marked their tame surrender of the Twenty20 International series.
Now, they face the daunting task of rubbing shoulders with an even stronger Indian One-Day International team, fortified by the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, among others.
Just when one thought things couldn’t get any worse for the home side came the news that lead pacers Dilshan Madushanka (hamstring) and slinging sensation Matheesha Pathirana (shoulder) were ruled out of the series -- the sort of unkind cut Sri Lanka and their disillusioned fans could have done without.
Friday’s first ODI, at the R Premadasa Stadium, will be India’s first foray into the 50-over format since December 21, when they defeated South Africa 2-1 in Paarl. Rohit and Kohli’s last 50-over match was the ill-fated World Cup final against Australia in November and, perhaps left to their own devices, they might have sat this series out too.
New head coach Gautam Gambhir convinced the two stalwarts to make the short dash to Colombo largely with next year’s Champions Trophy in mind. Including this series, India have only six games before the tournament is played for the first time since 2017. Gambhir’s insistence on having all his key personnel – with the honourable exception of the outstanding Jasprit Bumrah – available is understandable because time is at a premium, and the three-match home series against England in February is too close to the Champions Trophy for it to be used as anything but the final dress rehearsal.
Among the few challenging calls India must make is to decide who of KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant slots in as the preferred wicketkeeper-batter. Even before Pant’s horrific accident in December 2022, Rahul had donned the big gloves; his record when he has kept wickets and come in at No. 4 or 5 is far superior to when he has played as a specialist batter, though if India go with him, they will be distinctly right-heavy.
The other is to weigh up the risks and rewards of playing with only five specialist bowlers if they decide to field both Rahul and Pant alongside Shreyas Iyer. The five-bowler theory worked wonders at the World Cup until it didn’t in the final, though that XI included not just Bumrah but also the prolific Mohammed Shami, still on the road to recovery. India will be sorely tempted to field one of two all-rounders – Shivam Dube or Washington Sundar -- or Riyan Parag, who is gently nudging himself towards that category.
For Sri Lanka, the road to redemption is far from straightforward. The middle order has been their Achilles’ heel and first-time ODI skipper Charith Asalanka, as culpable as anyone else, will be desperate to lead the way if his team is to effect a stunning turnaround.