The general approach to using all the resources during a bilateral series is to go with a set playing XI for the opening few matches, get a lead in the contest and then test the bench strength. But what happens if the team trails after the first few games and is pushed into a do-or-die situation? Will testing the bench strength still be a priority? The Indian team will be facing a similar dilemma on Tuesday when they gear up to take on Sri Lanka in the last and final ODI match of the series in Colombo after the home team held the visitors to a tie in the opener and won by 32 runs in the second game to push India into a must-win situation.

India did not change their playing XI for the second game, meaning the likes of Rishabh Pant, Khaleel Ahmed, Riyan Parag, and Harshit Rana are yet to make an appearance in the series. Should they make the playing XI for the third match, Harshit and Riyan will be making their ODI debuts. On the other hand, Pant awaits his first game in the format since December 2022, while for Khaleel, he has been absent from ODIs since 2019.

On Sunday, after the end of the second ODI match, former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra was asked on Sony Sports whether he does see new head coach Gautam Gambhir making any changes to the playing XI. While he did not get into specifics, he reckoned that the former India World Cup-winner got his strategy wrong by getting the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play in the series, when the approach should have been focusing on the fresh faces. He felt the two experienced batters were not required for the contest and could have rather prolonged their break to resumed at the start of the home season in September.

“The next series India play is 2-3 months later, a rare thing for us. So for players like Rohit and Kohli...I feel there was a better chance of giving opportunities to other players during this series. I know Gambhir is a new coach, and he wants to spend some time with the experienced players, but it isn't like he doesn't know the two of them. He is not a foreign coach who wants to get his equation right with Kohli and Rohit. So it was a good opportunity for him to try out the new players, and Rohit and Kohli could play when the home season begins. I'm not saying it is a wrong approach, but it could have been one of the strategies in this series,” he said.

It was Gambhir's call to include Kohli Rohit

Kohli and Rohit were reportedly set to extend their break from cricket after the T20 World Cup, but on Gambhir's insistence, the two cut short their break and arrived in Colombo for the ODI series.

The move only seemed logical from Gambhir's point of view, who wanted to get a better view of the possible line-up India could have for the Champions Trophy next year given that the team will only play one other series in the format, in February 2025, against England at home.

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