3 Indian players who might be dropped from the ODI side if they don't perform against Sri Lanka

Team India will lock horns with Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10, in the first ODI of the three-match series.

With the 2023 World Cup on the horizon, India are unlikely to be patient with their misfiring stars. Several high-profile players have performed poorly over the last two years, and the Men in Blue are on the back of a string of disappointing results in ICC events.

India's squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

As a result, a few names might not find favor with the selectors if they don't prove their worth in the immediate future. Here are three Indian players who might be dropped from the ODI side if they don't perform against Sri Lanka.

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#3 Yuzvendra Chahal

England v India - 2nd Royal London Series One Day International

India currently face a dilemma when it comes to their spin combination for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Will they play Washington Sundar to add some depth at No. 8? Will they go with Kuldeep Yadav, who offers a more attacking option who spins the ball away from the left-hander?

Or will they stick with Yuzvendra Chahal? The veteran leggie played 14 ODIs in 2022, returning 21 wickets at an average of 27.1 and an economy rate of 5.49. Both metrics are on the higher side and he hasn't passed the eye test either, with batters finding it all too easy to attack him in the middle overs.

If Chahal is picked ahead of the other two on this list, or perhaps alongside one of them, he will be under serious pressure to deliver. If he doesn't, India might be forced to finally look past him.

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#2 KL Rahul

New Zealand v India - ODI: Game 3

KL Rahul was one of India's standout ODI performers in 2019, 2020, and 2021, but the batter's returns fell off a cliff last year. He managed only 251 runs in 10 matches at an average of 27.89 and a strike rate of 80.19, with just two 50-plus scores to his name.

Rahul will get his preferred No. 5 slot in the ODIs against Sri Lanka and needs to make it his own. He will also don the gloves for the opening game, with India confirming that Shubman Gill will open alongside Rohit Sharma. The batter's white-ball game has come under severe criticism from all quarters lately.

What adds weight to the possibility of Rahul being dropped is that he has been stripped of the vice-captaincy, with Hardik Pandya serving as Rohit's deputy for the series. The Men in Blue might not consider the 30-year-old indispensable anymore, and he needs to deliver.

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#1 Suryakumar Yadav

New Zealand v India - 2nd ODI

Suryakumar Yadav continues to break records in the T20I format, but his place in the ODI setup is still a big question. In fact, there were perhaps better contenders for a spot in the squad even for these Sri Lanka ODIs.

Nevertheless, if Suryakumar gets to turn out for the Men in Blue during the assignment, he will be under a truckload of pressure. He played 13 ODIs in 2022 but managed only 260 runs at an average of 26, with a series of disappointing dismissals to go with his lack of output.

With Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul, and Pandya manning the middle order, SKY might have to bide his time for a spot in the playing XI. But if he's picked, he can't afford to fail.