Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer arrive in Colombo for ODI series vs SL: Report

New Delhi: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana have reached Colombo for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, says a report.

The key players reached the IPC Ratnadipa Hotel in Sri Lanka on Sunday night. The ODI squad will engage in a net session at the stadium on Monday. Abhishek Nayar, one of the assistant coaches under the new head coach Gautam Gambhir, has been assigned to oversee this session. Nayar arrived in Colombo early Monday morning, shortly after the conclusion of the second T20I match on Sunday night.

The remaining members of the squad are set to join Rohit and the ODI players after the final T20I match in Pallekele on July 30. With India already securing the T20I series by winning the first two matches, the focus now shifts to the ODIs.

The ODI series is scheduled to begin on August 2 in Colombo, with all three matches taking place at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. The second ODI will be held on August 4, and the series will conclude on August 7.

Former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel is expected to join Gambhir’s coaching staff as a bowling coach, starting with the home series against Bangladesh in September. Gambhir has indicated that the team management is currently evaluating the coaching setup during the six-match series in Sri Lanka, with plans to establish a comprehensive coaching staff for future series, Cricbuzz reported.

Sairaj Bahutule, who specializes in spin bowling and is currently serving as an interim bowling coach for the Sri Lanka tour, may continue in his role if the management finds it beneficial. However, with Morkel's expertise lying primarily in fast bowling, the team might still require a dedicated spin bowling coach.

If Bahutule retains his position, the coaching lineup would feature two assistant coaches (Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate), a bowling coach (Morne Morkel), a fielding coach (T Dilip), and a spin bowling coach, alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir. This would bring the total to six coaches, potentially raising concerns about an overly large coaching staff.

India ODI squad:

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana