India missed an injured Virat Kohli the last time they played in Dharamsala -- final Test of the four-match Test series against Australia earlier this year. The team will once again be without their skipper at the scenic venue as he has been rested for the entire limited-over leg against the islanders.
In Kohli's absence, Rohit Sharma will lead the side in the upcoming series, which starts with the first ODI on Sunday, December 10 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium.
India are heading into the ODI series on the back of a 1-0 win in the recently-concluded three-match Test rubber. The hosts will yet again start as favourites, given their dominance and Sri Lanka's recent struggles in limited-overs.
New captain for Sri Lanka
While Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal has been dropped, the inclusion of Angelo Mathews, who missed the ODI series against Pakistan, comes as a big boost to Sri Lanka, who will be led by Thisara Perera.
The visitors will also welcome Asela Gunaratne, who has recovered from a broken thumb. Notably, the all-rounder played a key role in the team's wins over Australia in a T20I series earlier this year and India in the Champions Trophy 2017.
Big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera is also back in the squad while fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who was rested for the Test series, makes his return.
Will Ajinkya Rahane find a spot in the playing XI
On the other hand, India are likely to slot Ajinkya Rahane in the top order. The Mumbai batsman, who has been suffering a bad patch in the longest format of the game, will look to use the upcoming 50-over series to get to back to form ahead of all-important South Africa tour.
Dhawan, Jadhav doubtful
Shikhar Dhawan has been suffering from fever and he missed a training session on Friday, December 8, according to Miday. The opener will be assessed in the next 24 hours before taking a call on his availability.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Kedar Jadhav pulled his hamstring and was forced to leave the training session midway on Friday.
While Hardik Pandya returns after missing the Test series, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav are expected to keep their place in the middle-order. The focus will also be on MS Dhoni as the veteran' inputs will be key in the absence of skipper Kohli.
Kuldeep Yadav is likely to miss out as Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal consistently performed well against New Zealand last month.
Pitch and conditions
Rain threat looms large over the first ODI as Shimla Meteorological Office has reportedly predicted "widespread rain and snow" on December 10 in Dharamsala.
The HPCA track has been batting friendly and also offers pace and bounce for the fast bowlers. Dew has been a big problem for teams bowling second in Dharamsala, but an early start (11:30 am IST) is expected to help both sides.
Predicted playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Sri Lanka: Thisara Perera (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Akila Dananjaya, Chaturanga de Silva.
Note: Dhananjaya de Silva, who denied India a win in the third Test with a ton, has reportedly been ruled out of the first ODI.
