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India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday said India may face a tricky decision in finalising the wicketkeeper-batsman for the three-match One-Day International series against Sri Lanka this month, with both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in the mix.
Main striker Pant last played an ODI in November 2022, a month before he was involved in a near-fatal car accident, but the 26-year-old has since returned to the national team and played in the Twenty20 World Cup, which the national team won in June.
Pant also played in two of the three T20 matches against Sri Lanka last month but faces competition from Rahul, who has been a consistent performer behind the stumps and has performed well in the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2023.
“It is a tough decision. Both are quality players and you know their abilities. It is not easy to pick a team when you have players like that,” Rohit told reporters ahead of the opening ODI in Colombo on Friday.
“That’s what these two guys are all about. They win games the way they do.
“It’s always good to have (such) questions. When you have a lot of discussions about who to draft, it means the team is strong. I look forward to those questions.”
Rohit retired after winning the T20 World Cup in June and handed over the captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav, but he is expected to continue to captain the team in 50-over cricket as the Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held next year.
The match will be another big test for India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who began his tenure with a 3-0 T20 series win over Sri Lanka.
“We keep in mind what we want to achieve as a team but this is by no means a preparation or practice (for the Champions Trophy). We want to play good cricket and get something out of the series. It’s as simple as that,” Rohit said.
“We don’t want to try this or that. Of course, we want to try everything possible, but when you represent the country, the quality of cricket should remain the same and what we have been doing in the last few years.
“It’s more important than just thinking it’s just a preparation so we go out and relax in Colombo.”
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