Gautam Gambhir will hold his inaugural press conference as the new head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team on Monday at 10 AM IST. This event precedes the Indian team’s departure for Sri Lanka for the T20I series starting on July 27.
After much speculation, Gambhir was appointed by the BCCI earlier this month, succeeding Rahul Dravid, who stepped down after leading India to a T20 World Cup title win in Barbados in June. Gambhir’s first assignment will be the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs.
The T20I series, led by Suryakumar Yadav after he edged out Hardik Pandya for the captaincy following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format, will take place in Pallekele from July 27 to 30. The ODI series, crucial for India’s preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy next year, will be held in Colombo from August 3 to 7.
The Indian T20I team, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, will depart for Sri Lanka from Mumbai on July 22. Before the departure, BCCI will formally introduce Gambhir as the new head coach. Gambhir will address the media alongside the chief of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, to share details of the squad selection for both series and outline their plans for the Champions Trophy.
Despite reports suggesting Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah might skip the ODIs for an extended break, they have been named in the squad, with Rohit returning as captain. The ODIs will also mark the return of Rishabh Pant, who has been out since a car accident in December 2022, and Shreyas Iyer, who was previously omitted from the BCCI central contract.
India’s Squad for the Tour of Sri Lanka:
T20 Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.
OD Is:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
