Ind vs SL: Samson not available for first ODI due to sprain in ligament
Jul 18, 2021
Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 18 : India batsman Sanju Samson was ruled out of the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday due to a sprain in the ligament of his knee.
Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat against India. The visitors have handed debuts to Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
"Sanju Samson sprained a ligament in his knee and was hence not available for selection for this game. The medical team is tracking his progress at the moment," the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.
India might have picked a plethora of young guns for the Sri Lanka series but the visitors will still start as favourites in the ODI series.
While Dhawan has been named the captain for the Sri Lanka tour, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be his deputy with former skipper Rahul Dravid coaching the side.
Despite the absence of star players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah, India is well ahead of Sri Lanka considering the visitors' squad comprises of Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar and Deepak Chahar.
India playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan(w), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav
Sri Lanka playing XI: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka(w), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan
