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Team India will play a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, starting July 18 (Sunday). The Men in Blue will play three ODIs followed by as many T20Is at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The selectors have included six debutants in the squad in the absence of senior cricketers, who are busy with the upcoming Test series against England. Thus, the Sri Lanka series provides an opportunity for young talents to make a mark on the biggest stage.
However, the management will have a few selection dilemmas ahead of the first one-dayers. With India boasting a couple of talented openers in their ranks, the Rahul Dravid-led management will be sweating over picking Shikhar Dhawan's partner.
In the wake of it, we try to dissect three possible opening combinations for India against Sri Lanka:
Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw, who is making a comeback in the Indian setup, will be one of the frontrunners to pair up with skipper Shikhar Dhawan. The youngster from Mumbai has had a dream run in the last few months and will be desperate to make this opportunity count.
Shaw scored 800+ runs at an average of over 165 for Mumbai in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy, helping guide them to the title. His brilliant run continued in IPL 2021, where he amassed 308 runs in eight matches before the tournament was suspended due to a breach in the bio-bubble.
The right-hand-left-hand combination for India at the top could pose trouble for Sri Lankan bowlers in the upcoming limited-overs series.
Shikhar Dhawan and Devdutt Padikkal
The young southpaw from Karnataka is one of the top contenders to make his India debut in Sri Lanka. Devdutt Padikkal, who first impressed during IPL 2020 in the UAE, has been in scintillating form ever since.
Padikkal, who won the Emerging Players Award in IPL 2020, enjoyed a brilliant run in domestic cricket earlier this year. He smacked 218 runs from six matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, including the highest score of 99.
Padikkal then followed it up with a stellar run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter after Prithvi Shaw. The 21-year-old ended up with 737 runs from seven games at a staggering average of 147.40, including four centuries and three fifties.
With both Shikhar Dhawan and Devdutt Padikkal backing an aggressive game, it will be a tough time for the Sri Lankan bowlers if both of them get going together.
Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad
Talented batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will aim to use batting tips from Chennai Super Kings teammates MS Dhoni and Faf du Plessis on his maiden international tour.
Although he will have to fight it out with Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal for the opener's slot, Gaikwad has made a case for himself with a fifty-run knock in the intra-squad warm-up game in Colombo.
Ruturaj, who has grown in confidence under the shadow of MS Dhoni, is the epitome of grit, resilience, and patience. The batter from Maharashtra will be the perfect foil for Shikhar Dhawan's aggressive style of play.
The 24-year-old can hold the ship tight from one end and bat long and will be eyeing to make the chances count in the Indian jersey.
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