With only six ODIs left, three against Sri Lanka being the last batch of 2024, before next year's Champions Trophy, it was imperative for both skipper Rohit and main batter Kohli to play this series so that the new coach can tactically think about the combinations.
Both had initially planned to skip the tour considering the heavy workload they had faced in the past few months culminating with the ICC T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies however Gambhir insisted on their presence with the national team setup.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Indian cricket team's 'Kohinoor', has been preserved while Ravindra Jadeja has been rested keeping the 10 Tests - five home and five away - in mind.
End of Iyer's exile
Shreyas Iyer, the IPL-winning skipper of KKR team of which Gambhir was the mentor, also made a deserving national comeback after a rap on the knuckles from the selection committee for repeatedly avoiding domestic cricket last season. The batter had attributed it to his dodgy lower back.
Iyer wasn't technically dropped from ODIs as he had scored a fifty in the last ODI that India played but now that he is back in the mix, he will get his central contract back automatically.
But the same can't be said about Ishan Kishan, who is believed to be nowhere on the selection radar.
If sources are to be believed, he will only be back in reckoning after a full season of domestic cricket and playing IPL to IPL is harming his cause. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are the first three designated keepers in two white-ball formats.
Riyan and Harshit called in for ODIs
The BCCI media statement stated that the Board "will continue to monitor player availability and participation in the upcoming domestic cricket season, 2024-25."
Assam's Riyan Parag has reaped benefits for his stupendous performance in last year's Vijay Hazare National one dayers where he scored seven half-centuries. It has been learnt that national selection committee will give full importance to domestic cricket performances.
Rookie pacer Harshit Rana, who had 19 wickets for KKR in this year's IPL and was selected for the first two Zimbabwe T20Is, has been included in the ODI squad as it is believed that the selectors think it is the best time to broaden their pool of pacers and check how they fare at the elite level.
Abhishek Sharma, who scored a 46-ball-hundred, missed out as there is no place for him at No. 3 where the skipper himself will bat. Similarly, Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad also didn't find a place.
