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IND vs SL 2022-23, 1st ODI: Team India aiming for top start as Jasprit Bumrah's return delayed

IND vs SL 2022-23: India and Sri Lanka will clash in the opening Guwahati ODI on Tuesday. While Jasprit Bumrah's return has been delayed, the Indians would be swayed away from getting off to a top start.

IND vs SL 2022-23, Guwahati/1st ODI preview: Team India aiming for top start against Sri Lanka as Jasprit Bumrah return delayed-ayh
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First Published Jan 10, 2023, 8:00 AM IST

By Tapan Mohanta

India was left with mixed feelings on the eve of its One-Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka as, on the one hand, it will have stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to the side. At the same time, on the other, unfit pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will yet again miss the action. Bumrah was expected to bolster the bowling attack in the three-match series commencing here on Tuesday. Still, his return has been delayed further after he failed to recover completely from the stress fracture in his lower back, which has seen him miss several assignments, including the 2022 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

There is now a question over whether the pace spearhead will be available for the white-ball home series against New Zealand beginning on January 18 and whether he will be in contention for the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series commencing on February 9. With India set to host the 2023 ICC World Cup in October-November, Bumrah's last-minute exclusion only adds to the mystery surrounding the pace bowler's recovery and rehabilitation process.

The return of old guards Rohit, Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer will give the hosts a massive boost as they eye the series after clinching the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Sri Lanka. India has a packed ODI calendar -- 15 matches excluding the Asia Cup -- in the 10-month window in the build-up to the CWC in October-November, and the key will be not just to get the balance right but also manage the workload amid the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the highly-anticipated Australia Test series.

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But another injury scare to Bumrah has thrown a spanner in the works of the team management. There also lies the problem of plenty in picking the top-five batters. Opener Rohit and No. 3 Kohli pick themselves, and while on form, it will be tough to drop Ishan Kishan and Iyer.

Kishan recently played a sensational knock in his last ODI in Bangladesh when he scored a career-best 210. The youngster could directly clash with Shubman Gill to open with Rohit. While Gill did not play the Bangladesh series in December last year, he has proved his worth as an ODI format player.

Iyer had a dream run in ODIs last year and scored 724 runs at an average of 55.69 in 15 innings. He was the backbone of India's batting with his ability to rotate the strike and tackle spin in the middle overs -- a critical skill on sub-continent tracks. Then, there's the phenomenon named Suryakumar Yadav, whose T20 exploits have forced the management to explore his utility in the 50-over format. The middle-order batter is fresh from a 51-ball unbeaten 112 in their 91-run win over Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I at Rajkot.

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Surya's third century in the format in seven months made him the first player to score three T20I tons while not opening the batting. However, his ODI career has yet to take off so far. Surya has scored 384 runs in 16 matches with just two half-centuries, but he could get full backing from the team management to improve his 50-over numbers in the lead-up to the CWC.

With veteran quick Mohammed Shami back in the ranks, he should be in the playing XI along with either Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh or Umran Malik. New vice-captain Hardik Pandya's bowling skills will also come in handy, but for someone who missed more than a year due to a back injury in the lead-up to IPL 2022, it remains to be seen how many overs the skipper gets out from India's premier all-rounder.

It will be a happy headache for India as they would look to dominate the ODI leg and do a double against the visitors, who have an almost similar side that lost the T20I series 2-1. Sri Lankan skipper and star all-rounder Dasun Shanaka led by example in the T20Is, emerging as their top run-getter with 124 runs at a strike rate of 187.87.

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Lanka would look for stability at the top and hope opener Pathum Nissanka gives them a solid start. Nissanka was its leading run-getter last year (491 runs from 11 matches), and he would like to continue from where he had left off. The middle order will be steered by Charith Asalanka, who also had a fruitful last year, averaging 53.25.

The visitors have also drafted in leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who could be handy on Indian wickets. He was their leading wicket-taker in ODIs last year, claiming 14 scalps from seven matches.

Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando (ODIs), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan and Lahiru Kumara.

(With inputs from PTI)

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