Gautam Gambhir refuses to unite with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Sri Lanka; sends Abhishek Nayar instead

India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma has arrived on Sri Lankan shores. Alongside Rohit, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana also reached Sri Lanka and are believed to have checked into the ITC Ratnadipa Hotel in Colombo on Sunday (July 28) night.

According to Cricbuzz, head coach Gautam Gambhir has decided not to join the ODI players right now. Instead, Abhishek Nayar has been sent to oversee the practice session.

The three-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. The three ODIs will be played on July 2, 4, and 7 respectively.

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Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and three other Indian players arrive in Sri Lanka for the ODI series

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were earler stated to take rest from the whole tour of Sri Lanka. But since India are scheduled to play limited no. of ODIs before the next year's Champions Trophy, both the players made themselves available to be a part of the roadmap for the marquee ICC tournament.

The players selected for the ODI leg will participate in a net session at the stadium on Monday. The Indian team management has appointed Abhishek Nayar to oversee the net session.

It is believed that Nayar left for Colombo on Monday (July 29) morning after India's win in the second T20I on Sunday (July 28). He is one of the assistant coaches with the Indian team for this tour alongside Ryan ten Doeschate.

Abhishek Nayar joined Team India as the assistant coach after the recommendation by Gautam Gambhir for his services. Gambhir has previously worked with Nayar in the KKR set-up during IPL 2024 season where Gambhir was the mentor and Nayar was the assistant coach of the team.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have already retired from the T20I format after India's T20 World Cup 2024 win in June 2024. Both the stalwarts played key roles in India's title win. Rohit Sharma emerged as the second highest run-getter of the tournament and the highest run-getter for India with 257 runs in 8 matches.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock of 76 off 59 balls in the final against South Africa. He was adjudged Player of the Match for his brilliant performance under pressure.

Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana also join the ODI team

Alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana have also checked into the hotel and will take part in the practice session scheduled for Monday.

Shreyas Iyer will be making his comeback into the Indian side after being dropped from the Test team during the home Test series against England earlier this year. He is a crucial part of India's ODI plans and performed brilliantly in the ODI World Cup last year.

Kuldeep Yadav was rested for the T20Is but has been included for the ODIs as he is a crucial part of India's ODI plans. Fast bowler Harshit Rana will be making his maiden appearance in India's ODI squad. He was earlier selected during India's tour of Zimbabwe prior to this tour.