Star India batter Suryakumar Yadav was seen practising ahead of the upcoming Sri Lanka tour, which will be starting on July 27. Ahead of Sri Lanka tour, Suryakumar took to his official Instagram account and shared a glimpse of him sweating it out. The 33-year-old shared a small clip of him running on the field before the start of the series. India has named Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of their men’s T20I team for the tour of Sri Lanka, with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain of the T20I and ODI sides. Notably, Hardik, who was leading the T20I sides in the tours after the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 debacle in Australia, where England beat India by 10 wickets in the semis, has been removed from the leadership roles. He led India in 16 T20I matches, winning 10, losing five, and one ending in a tie. His win percentage was 62.50.

Hardik’s removal from leadership came despite his strong performance in the T20 World Cup triumph, scoring 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 151.57, with a half-century and best score of 50*. He also took 11 wickets in eight games at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64, with the best figures of 3/20.

Also, Suryakumar led India in two series just after the 50-over World Cup 2023 final loss to Australia, in which Australia toured India and India made a tour to South Africa. Overall, he led India in seven matches, winning five and losing two. He won the series against Australia, while the series against South Africa ended in a draw.

“Giving it all, everyday,” Suryakumar Yadav wrote on Instagram.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka will start from July 27 onwards. The tour will kick-start with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series, which will start from August 2.

The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches.

The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7.

Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India’s last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

T20I Squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

ODI Squad for Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn’t picked for India’s tour of Sri Lanka© X (Twitter)

File photo of Hardik Pandya© AFP

File photo of Indian cricket team star Hardik Pandya© Twitter

File photo of Hardik Pandya (left) and Suryakumar Yadav.© AFP

He left the Caribbean basking in the glory of his success in India’s triumphal march to their first ICC tournament title in 11 years. However, in a mere three weeks, Hardik Pandya‘s world has turned upside down. Elite sport can be ruthless and Pandya found that out when he was pipped by Suryakumar Yadav for the post of captain of the Indian T20 side for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka while battling problems on personal front.

The vote of ‘no confidence’ in his leadership ability was so emphatic and in your face that it has left the flamboyant all-rounder facing another big question thanks to one of the most dramatic twists in Indian cricket.

Will Mumbai Indians, the franchise with the deepest pocket and biggest say in the IPL Universe, be ready to give one more year to their current preferred leader Pandya, who replaced their most popular captain (Rohit Sharma) in acrimonious circumstances last year? By leading the team to the T20 World Cup title, Rohit has elevated himself to a position which is second only to Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Indian cricket, barely few months after being dumped by his IPL franchise.

So how do they deal with Rohit before the mega auction next year and what if the Indian skipper isn’t interested in retention.

To make matters more intriguing, MI also have the new Indian T20 captain Surya in their roster, and they will have to retain him at all cost going into next year’s mega auction.

For an Indian skipper’s retention, MI might have to make an offer Surya can’t refuse. As an India captain, what if he now harbours an ambition of also leading the IPL’s most popular franchise.

There is also another angle that needs to be pondered. It is an open secret in Indian cricket that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah loves the leadership role but since his skills are as precious as gold kept in Fort Knox, he can’t be always summoned to lead the team. But he wouldn’t mind being the first among the equals to be retained.

So where does all this leave Pandya, who moved to MI after a very successful stint with Gujarat Titans following a much-publicised all-cash deal, only to be booed in every nook and corner of the country during the last IPL.

The IPL Governing Council hasn’t yet announced how many retention they will allow and if it is kept at four with one being an overseas player, it leaves the franchise with three Indian choices.

The upcoming mega auction will be all about creating a team for the next five years and some harsh calls will have to be taken.

Those in MI’s core management team, with hands on their hearts, will agree that the manner in which Pandya was elevated as the skipper didn’t end up creating a happy environment, and the last-place finish only strengthened those theories.

Gautam Gambhir‘s entry as India head coach obviously put a spanner in Pandya’s national captaincy prospects but even the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar wasn’t completely convinced that he is tactically as sound as one expects an international skipper to be.

He needs a bit of handholding and Ashish Nehra did that at GT. Mark Boucher wasn’t that man at MI and as per a general feedback, the younger lot in the Indian dressing room have a chance of responding way better to Surya than to Pandya.

What is the road ahead for Pandya right now? A terrific performance first up in the Sri Lanka T20Is to drive home a point. Also he can’t just wait for India games as he will have to play domestic cricket to improve his his below-par international appearance percentage of 50 percent across two white ball formats in last 19 months (69 games (46 out of 79 T20Is and 23 ODIs out of 59 ODIs since Jan 22).

Indian cricket is always full of twists and turns and if Pandya wants to go to the Champions Trophy next year, he will have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda in December.

Pandya’s leadership ambitions have faced a massive roadblock but in cricket, it ain’t over till the last ball is bowled.

File photo of Suryakumar Yadav (left) and Hardik Pandya© AFP

The Team India squad announcement for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka was a bitter-sweet moment for Suryakumar Yadav. While the attacking batter would’ve been jubilant to get the team’s captaincy in T20Is, he was also dropped from the ODI squad, with the selectors and new head coach Gautam Gambhir making their stance clear. Suryakumar was a part of India’s ODI World Cup squad in 2023 but failed to repay the trust that selectors showed in him. Hence, the 360-degree batter was snubbed for a spot in the Indian team for the ODIs in the island nation.

Suryakumar might be considered the finest T20 batter in the world, but the same can’t be said about his 50-over game. In the 37 ODI matches he has played, the Mumbai batter averages just 25.76. His ability to play the patient game and gradually increase the pace of scoring runs has been doubted by many.

With just 6 ODIs to be played before the ICC Champions Trophy next year, the selectors want to give other players a chance. According to the Indian Express, the name of Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Nitish Reddy is reportedly being looked upon, especially because of the 3-dimensional skillset he brings to the table. Hardik Pandya remains India’s premier seam-bowling all-rounder in white-ball cricket but he isn’t a part of the ODI series against the Lankans. But, he could return in future assignments. 

Gautam Gambhir’s ‘Data-Driven’ Approach

Like India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma, even head coach Gautam Gambhir is known to rely on data before making selection decisions. In this aspect, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have emerged as tempting options in white-ball cricket. Hence, Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t picked. 

For the Sri Lanka series, however, Riyan Parag is one player who could get a run-in. Parag isn’t just a handy batter down the order but also has the ability to chip in with a few overs. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Parag’s consistent performances speak for his skills as an all-rounder has seen him emerge as one of the most consistent performers in the last couple of seasons.

The Assam star, however, might not be the first-choice option, with more experienced stars like Axar and Sundar also part of the squad.

India’s ODI Squad vs Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ꮪhubman Gill (vice-capt), 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.

Colombo called for bids in September to sell SriLankan Airlines, a key IMF demand when granting a bailout loan to the country last year. File.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Sri Lanka has scrapped plans to sell off its indebted national airline despite shortlisting three potential buyers, the government’s privatisation agency said on July 19.

Colombo called for bids in September to sell SriLankan Airlines, a key IMF demand when granting a bailout loan to the country last year.

Six firms had initially expressed interest in taking a stake in the airline, which owed more than $2.0 billion at the end of the 2022/2023 financial year.

The government announced in April a shortlist of three potential investors, including Malaysia’s Air Asia.

However, on Friday, the State Owned Enterprises Restructuring Unit said it had called off the sale.

“The cabinet of ministers at a meeting on July 9 decided to terminate the current bidding process with regard to the divestiture of SriLankan Airlines,” it said in a brief statement without giving any reasons for the decision.

It added that the government will follow an “alternate strategy” regarding the carrier.

The International Monetary Fund had singled out SriLankan for “restructuring” when granting the government a $2.9 billion bailout last year.

The bailout came after the country defaulted on its $46 billion external debt in April 2022 as it faced an unprecedented shortage of foreign exchange needed for essential imports.

With nearly 6,000 staff, SriLankan Airlines is the biggest and most expensive of the cash-haemorrhaging companies that are draining the budget and compounding Sri Lanka’s economic woes.

However, analysts had warned that finding a company willing to pour money into the carrier would be immensely challenging given its history of interference, mismanagement and turbulent partnerships.

In 1998, Emirates bought a minority stake and took over its management. It stayed in the black for most of the next decade, even in 2001 when several of the airline’s planes were destroyed in an attack on the main international airport by Tamil Tiger separatists.

But the partnership was terminated and the chief executive sacked by then-president Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2008 after the carrier refused to bump fare-paying passengers to make room for members of his family returning from a trip to London.

The authorities tried to sell a 49% stake in SriLankan in 2017 when tourism was booming, but private equity firm TPG eventually withdrew its bid after deciding it was not a viable operation.

File photo of Ishan Kishan.© AFP