India vs Sri Lanka, 2023: Top 5 players who missed India’s squad from the series

Team India are set to begin their 2023 season with a T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka at home. Keeping the 2023 50-over World Cup in mind, this upcoming ODI series will be crucial for Rohit Sharma and his men. On 27 December 2022, the Indian Cricket Board announced the squads for both series.

Big-name players took a rest from the T20I series. They will be back in action in the 50-over format. But, some players failed to make the cut in either of the series. Even, some players failed to make the cut in both series. So, fans were left surprised to see such decisions from the Indian Cricket Board.   

Here are the top five players of India who missed the squads from the whole Sri Lanka series: 

Shikhar Dhawan from the ODI series

Shikhar Dhawan (Image Source: Twitter)

This veteran opener has been an integral part of team India over the years, especially in the 50-over format. However, Shikhar Dhawan failed to show his class in the recent series. In the three-match ODI series in New Zealand, he scored only 103 runs in three innings, at an average of 34.33.

He even lost the series by 1-0 as the skipper. Then, he got another opportunity in the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh. In that series, Dhawan scored only 18 runs in three innings, at an average of 6. Still, fans were hoping to see him in the squad keeping the 50-over World Cup 2023 in mind. But, he failed to get a palace in the upcoming ODI series at home against Sri Lanka.  

Prithvi Shaw from the T20I series

Prithvi Shaw (Image Source: Twitter)

This explosive batter from Mumbai has shown his class in the recent white-ball tournaments of the domestic circuit. Prithvi Shaw has enjoyed decent form with the bat. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 332 runs in 10 innings, at an average of 36.88. But, his strike rate of 181.42 was what made headlines. 

He was instrumental in Mumbai’s trophy-winning journey. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 217 runs in seven innings, at an average of 31 with a strike rate of 105.33. So, fans were expecting to see him in the T20I series in India. But, selectors ignored him once again and did not consider him for the series.   

Sanju Samson from the ODI series

Sanju Samson (Image Source: Twitter)

This star wicketkeeper batter has always found it hard to get into a squad for team India. Currently, Sanju Samson is busy playing Ranji Trophy for Kerala. However, he had an average Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 61 runs in six innings, at an average of 26.66. Even, his strike rate was 120.30.

Recently, he was a part of the team India squad in both the ODI and T20I series in New Zealand. But, he got to play only one ODI match where he scored 36 runs off 38 balls. So fans were expecting to see him in both series. But, selectors selected him only for the T20I series, not the ODI series. 

Shreyas Iyer from the T20I series

Shreyas Iyer (Image Source: Twitter)

This star batter has been enjoying a great run of form with the bat for team India in the recent series. Shreyas Iyer was not in the squad in the 20-20 World Cup 2022. Then, he got a chance in New Zealand. In the T20I series, he scored just 13 runs in two innings, at an average of 6.50. But, in the ODI series, Iyer scored 129 runs in two innings, at an average of 64.50.

After that, he scored 109 runs in three innings at an average of 36.33 in the ODI series in Bangladesh. Followed by that, Iyer scored 202 runs in three innings at an average of 101 in the two-match Test series. So, fans were hoping to see such good form in the shortest format also for India. But, he failed to make a cut to the final squad for the T20I series.    

Rishabh Pant from the ODI and T20I series 

Rishabh Pant (Image Source: Twitter)

This star wicket-keeper batter is one of the names to watch out for in the Indian team across any format. However, Rishabh Pant has failed to play well in white-ball formats as he has done in the longest format of the game. In the 20-20 World Cup 2022, Pant scored only nine runs in two innings. 

Then, in New Zealand, he scored just 17 runs in two innings in the T20I series, at an average of 8.50. After that, in the ODI series, Pant scored 25 runs in two innings, at an average of 12.50. However, he did not play in the ODI series in Bangladesh. Now, he will miss both the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, as per reports, Rishabh Pant will report to NCA for 15 days in order to get recovered from his knee injury before the Australia series in February.