Watch: Team India plays an inter-squad match in Colombo to warm up for the upcoming Sri Lanka series

Team India has begun their preparations for the upcoming limited-overs series in Sri Lanka after finishing their quarantine. For the sake of simulating match practice, the team management divided the squad into two parts. Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan led one side, while his deputy on this tour, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, captained the other side. Both teams squared off at the SSC grounds in Colombo.

Team India is currently playing an intra-squad game at SSC Grounds. The teams are led by Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar respectively. 1 more week for the start of the #SLvIND ODI series in Colombo. 📹 - @OfficialSLC @ThePapareSports pic.twitter.com/ytEkIryiQd

— Damith Weerasinghe (@Damith1994) July 5, 2021

Seasoned pacer Bhuvenshwar Kumar seems to have recovered well from his injury and was seen bowling at full tilt. Newcomers Ruthuraj Gaikwad and Nitish Rana had the chance to showcase their skills and make a case for a slot in the playing XI on the current tour. They showcased their strike rotation skills which are very important in the middle phase of an ODI inning.

During his stay in the middle, CSK opener Ruthuraj played some unconventional shots like reverse sweeps to display his range of repertoire to the team management.

Making a comeback into the side after missing out on the previous series, Manish Pandey also spent some time at the crease and played some nice shots on the offside. The experienced Karnatak batsman will be vying for a spot in the middle-order with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Nitish Rana. Hardik Pandya also got into his groove by hitting some big shots in the end.

Fringe spinners Rahul Chahar and K Gowtham also went into action to show their bowling variety to management before the commencement of the series. The duo will be contending with Kuldeep Yadav, Chahal, and Varun Chakravarthy for a spot in the starting XI.

High Energy ⚡️Full🔛 Intensity 💪A productive day in the field for #TeamIndia during their T20 intra squad game in Colombo 👌 👌#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/YLbUYyTAkf

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2021

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India will play their first match of the Sri Lanka tour on July 13th at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo

The Shikhar Dhawan led Team India will face off against the hosts in the first ODI of the 3-match series on July 13(Tuesday). As this is the only white ball series for India before the upcoming T20 World Cup, the team management will look to give a good run of chances to fringe players before finalizing the squad for the World Cup.

Players like Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Varun Chakravarthy, Ishan Kishan, and Prithvi Shaw will try to grab the chance and perform well in this series as it can grant them a chance to represent India at the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Out of quarantine 👍Fun activities 😎#TeamIndia made the most out of their day off post quarantine before they headed to the nets in Colombo 👌 👌 - by @28anand & @ameyatilak Watch the full video to witness how the fun unfolded 🎥 👇 #SLvIND https://t.co/k3BiqHW1VM pic.twitter.com/d7XySHAI2O

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 3, 2021