IND vs SL playing XIs: Sri Lanka opt to bat, Rahul-Iyer return for India

The much-awaited three-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka starts today as the hosts have won the toss and opted to bat first. Sri Lanka will be keen on putting up a fight after losing the preceding ODI series 0-3. On the other hand, India will look to register their 100th win across formats over Sri Lanka and become the first team to do so.

As far as the playing XIs are concerned, Sri Lanka have left out Maheesh Theekshana preferring Akila Dananjaya over him. They have also handed a debut to pace bowler Mohammed Shiraz. Injuries have been a concern for them with Matheesha Pathirana and Dilshan Madhushanka getting ruled out of the series.

"It looks like a dry pitch and that's the reason. We are going with a 6-5 combination. Shiraz is making his debut today. We have to improve our mental skills, we did some bad things in the last game but that is the past and we are looking forward to this game. It (injuries) is a concern as a captain but I am looking forward to going with my second line of bowling," Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma wasn't too fussed about losing the toss and stated that the team is pretty much balanced at the moment. "We have played a lot of cricket here and know the conditions. There have been a lot of changes; I am back, so is Virat, KL and Shreyas Iyer.

"Kuldeep also comes back in. Dube is also playing. We have a pretty decent balance. We had a great World Cup, we didn't cross the finishing line but there were a lot of positives. We have created an atmosphere where guys can come in and play with freedom. Not really (on whether he will bowl), I will focus on my batting. We have enough bowlers in the squad that can roll their arm over," Rohit said at the toss.

Here are the playing XIs: