Top 10 funny memes after Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant are dropped from India's ODI squad for Sri Lanka series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formally announced Team India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka on Tuesday (December 27).

The selectors have dropped veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan from the squad after he endured a poor run of form in the recent past. Across 22 ODI matches over the last 12 months, the southpaw has only scored 688 runs at an average of 34.40, with a poor strike rate of 74.21.

The emergence of viable young contenders like Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan must have forced the selectors to take the tough call on Dhawan.

Flamboyant wicket-keeping batter Rishabh Pant was another notable absentee in the squad. Rohit Sharma will return from a mini-injury hiatus to lead the side in this series. Hardik Pandya has been appointed as his deputy ahead of KL Rahul, who held the responsibility during the recently concluded Bangladesh tour.

Senior players Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah continue to be on the sidelines. Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh have come back into the ODI setup.

Fans took note of the squad and expressed their views by sharing memes on social media platforms. They expressed gratitude for Shikhar Dhawan's contributions to the Indian cricket team but felt that the time was right to move on.

Team India's ODI series against Sri Lanka commences on January 10

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian side will kickstart the three-match ODI series with the first match taking place on January 10 in Guwahati. Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram will host the second and third matches on January 12 and 15, respectively.

The Men in Blue will begin their preparations for the 2023 ODI World Cup this series as the selectors have chosen a near full-strength squad.

The team management will be looking to give players a consistent run in the lead-up and establish a settled team for the mega tournament. It is going to be an important series for the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kuldeep Yadav to cement their spots in the squad.

Team India's ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

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Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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