Rohit Sharma Eyes Strategic Gains in ODIs Against Sri Lanka Ahead of Champions Trophy 2025

India captain Rohit Sharma aims to achieve strategic improvements in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, preparing for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. After retiring from T20Is, Sharma and Virat Kohli will return to international cricket in this series under the guidance of new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

India captain Rohit Sharma is focused on extracting valuable lessons from the three upcoming ODIs against Sri Lanka as part of India's preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This series marks the first time Rohit and Virat Kohli will play in national colors after announcing their retirement from T20Is following India's T20 World Cup win in Barbados.

With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, India is keen to finetune their squad for the prestigious event under the new guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir. Sri Lanka, India's opponent for this series, has been struggling in the 50-over format, finishing ninth in last year's World Cup and failing to qualify for the next Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Despite their recent struggles, Rohit is determined to ensure India displays their best performance in the series.

In a pre-match press conference, Rohit addressed speculation about whether the series serves as a preparation for the World Cup or Champions Trophy: "This is still an international game. We have our goals, but it's not just a practice ground. We aim to play good cricket and achieve something meaningful from this series," he asserted. Rohit emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards and playing with intent and purpose, rather than treating the matches as mere preparation.

Rohit also highlighted the need for continuous improvement and challenging oneself to learn new things. "We might ask a bowler to try something different or a batter to play a certain way in the middle overs," he explained. "Our goal is to achieve something from the series without compromising our intent or purpose. For me, the standard of Indian cricket is paramount." The first ODI against Sri Lanka is set for Friday at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Here is India's ODI squad for the series: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

(With inputs from agencies.)