IND vs SL: Why did Gautam Gambhir-Rohit Sharma drop Rishabh Pant from the team? Got the answer

The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka is being played in Colombo and in this match the team captain Rohit Sharma took a decision which shocked everyone. In fact, Rohit Sharma did not include Rishabh Pant in the playing eleven. In his place, KL Rahul was given an opportunity as a wicketkeeper. It was believed that Pant would return to the ODI team as he is a left-handed batsman and is also a specialist wicketkeeper, but the team management went with KL Rahul.

What is the reason for keeping Pant out?

No specific reason for Rishabh Pant's exclusion has been revealed, but it is possible that the decision was taken due to the presence of too many left-handed batsmen in the middle order. In fact, the Indian middle order consists of players like Shivam Dubey, Akshar Patel and Washington Sundar, all of whom are left-handed batsmen. In such a situation, if Pant was also in the middle order, the balance of Team India could have deteriorated a little.

Why was KL Rahul given a chance?

KL Rahul has not played for Team India since IPL. He did not make the T20 World Cup squad and was now considered certain to be given an opportunity in the ODI format. KL Rahul has a good record in the ODI format and at number five. Apart from this his wicketkeeping is also good which he has already proved. This is why Gambhir and Rohit gave KL Rahul a chance. However, Shivam Dubey got a chance in the playing XI in Team India's ODI squad for the first time since 2019 and Shreyas Iyer has also been seen in the Team India jersey after almost 9 months.

India's Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Akshar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj.