India's strongest ODI XI for the Sri Lanka series

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya

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The Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal - will take their places in the lower-middle order as they did during the England series. While Hardik's bowling availability is yet to be ascertained, Krunal should pip Gowtham to a spot in the playing XI. India are a bit short of all-rounders in the squad.

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Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been appointed as the vice-captain of the side, will lead the Indian pace attack against Sri Lanka. He struggled with a niggle during the Indian Premier League and didn't really impress, but was exceptional in the preceding England series.

The other two pacers are also straightforward choices. Deepak Chahar has played only three ODIs, the last of which came in 2019, and he will look to translate his T20I form into the longer format. Navdeep Saini, a bowler who has fallen out of favour in the recent past, adds an exciting dimension to the attack with his raw pace and aggression.

The lone frontline spinner could be one of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Rahul Chahar. The left-armer should get the nod because Sri Lanka have a few left-handers, and he desperately needs to build his confidence. Moreover, Chahar has never played an ODI before, while Chahal lost his place in the side earlier this year.

Young Chetan Sakariya might be a bit too raw for international cricket at the moment and should warm the bench during the ODI series. Varun Chakravarthy may have been selected with an eye on the T20 World Cup and may sit out the first three games of the tour.