India vs Sri Lanka: Five Cricketers who have been sidelined by selectors, coach Gautam Gambhir

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BCCI announced India's squad for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka on Thursday (July 18).

Gautam Gambhir will take charge as India's head coach as India plays 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is in the island country, starting from July 27.

There were speculations about the Indian team for the series, but captain Rohit Sharma will lead the team in ODIs. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has leapfrogged Hardik Pandya to become the captain in the T20 format.

Virat Kohli also made himself available for the ODIs while the likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have also returned in the team for the 50-over format. But along with the returns of a few, some of the players have been sidelined from the Sri Lanka series. A few youngsters and some veteran names are missing from the grid, which may indicate a bigger vision from the selectors.

Here are five players who have been sent to the periphery from the nucleus of the Indian cricket team-

Sanju Samson (in ODIs)

Sanju Samson's omission from the ODI squad has come as a surprise to many. The Indian batter was part of the T20 World Cup squad, but didn't get a game. But he has been included in the T20I squad for the Sri Lanka tour. However, given Samson's credential in the ODIs, he could have given a chance in that format as well. But Gambhir and selectors have opted with KL Rahul, who returns to the international fold in the ODI format.

Mukesh Kumar (in Both)

Mukesh Kumar will be gutted for not getting a callup after a fantastic outing in the Zimbabwe series. The pacer picked up 8 wickets in three matches but has found himself out of the team for the Sri Lanka tour.

Abhishek Sharma (in Both)

Abhishek Sharma had a superb outing in Zimbabwe. The youngster scored a century in one of the T20 matches and overall had a decent outing with the bat. But Abhishek's name hasn't come in the T20 format which is somewhat surprising. Perhaps the selectors want the Punjab-born to showcase a bit more consistency in the domestic fold before giving him further opportunities.

Ravindra Jadeja (in ODIs)

Ravindra Jadeja was not named in the ODI squad, which is a massive step from the selectors. After an underwhelming T20 World Cup Jadeja retired from the format but he may well be constricted to just Red Ball cricket. Washington Sundar, who was the player of the series in Zimbabwe, has been included in both T20I and ODI squads, which further intensifies Jadeja's omission call. It is to be seen how the veteran reacts as he may focus on Test cricket from now on.

Hardik Pandya (removed from VC)

Hardik Pandya has suffered the biggest blow in the post-Dravid era. The Indian all-rounder's destiny to become the next T20 captain has taken a huge hit as Suryakumar Yadav was named as captain in the Sri Lanka series. Pandya also lost his vice-captain designation as the selectors named Shubman Gill as the deputy in both white-ball formats. Pandya is only included in the T20I squad and will play as a regular squad member.