Guwahati: Indian national cricket team players arrived in Guwahati on Sunday ahead of the first One Day International (ODI) in the series against Sri Lanka.
The players include- Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer along with Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma has already arrived in Guwahati.
The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) has previously said that not all players would be arriving at the same time.
According to ACA President Taranga Gogoi, the Indian squad would arrive separately and reassemble in Guwahati before of the ODI match that will be played at the ACA Barsapara Stadium on Tuesday, January 10.
He told the media in a statement yesterday that the players, including Rohit Sharma, who were absent from the recently finished T20 series against Sri Lanka, will come separately by today.
Other team members who competed in the T20 series that India won by a score of 2-1 will also arrive separately. They will have training sessions on January 9 together here, before playing the Lankans the next day, added Gogoi.
This will the first ODI in Guwahati after a hiatus of about four years, former ACA Secretary and current BCCI Joint Secretary Devajit Lon Saikia told reporters during the presser yesterday. The ACA is of the opinion that ahead of India hosting the 2023 ODI World Cup, this could be an indication from the BCCI at considering Guwahati as a possible venue to host World Cup matches.
Meanwhile, talking about preparations ahead of the all important clash, Taranga Gogoi had said, “ACA has taken all possible steps to ensure the smooth conduction of the game. Most people have this question regarding the use of our Guwahati stadium for hosting World Cup matches for the 2023 ODI World Cup. On that regard, I would like to mention that ACA has done and will continue to do everything to ensure that BCCI looks towards Guwahati as a possible destination.”
He said, “I believe by handing us the opportunity to host this ODI match between India and Sri Lanka, BCCI is trying out our capability in hosting an ODI match. We are looking forward to hosting this match successfully and ask for the help of all citizens in ensuring that everything goes well.”
The ACA President stated that ahead of the match, preparations are in full swing. “We have taken care of everything. From allotment of food vendors inside, purchasing of generators for electricity issues, fogging for mosquitoes and spraying of chemicals to keep snakes at bay, we are taking the opportunity very seriously and all hands are on deck,” assured Gogoi.
The squad for the remaining two matches is as follows:
India squad for SriLanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.