India Tour of Sri Lanka: The Sri Lanka tour won’t be a practice tour as it was conveyed earlier and the head coach for the three ODIs and as many T20Is Rahul Dravid won’t use it as an India ‘A’ tour to test players. Instead, Dravid said that the aim will be to win the series under Shikhar Dhawan’s captaincy as the first team does in the bilateral series. But more than that it will be a preparatory tournament for many players who are looking to cement their places in the ICC T20 World Cup while a few youngsters will get their opportunities in the process.
Say hello to #TeamIndia‘s captain & coach for the Sri Lanka tour 👋🤜🤛
We are excited. Are you? 😃#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/OnNMzRX4ZB
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 27, 2021
“For sure, a lot of players are looking forward to cement their places in the ICC T20 World Cup. There will be a few players who are pushing for places. But the key focus in the two sessions that we had so far, has been on winning the series. That is going to be our primary objective. But hopefully, people will get some opportunities to put in some good performances in the course of winning the series and knock doors of selectors,” Rahul Dravid said at a virtual pre-tour press conference on Sunday.
India Tour of Sri Lanka: While on India A tours, Dravid as the coach of India U-19 and ‘A’ team had ensured everyone in the squad got opportunities, he said the same will not be the case in Sri Lanka. Instead, the team under Shikhar Dhawan’s leadership will aim to win.
“It’s slightly different. When you are at the developmental level, the goal is different from this. we have a really good squad here, 20 players. It will be unrealistic to expect everyone to get an opportunity in this short series. We’ll come up with what we think is the best combination to win the series and then see along the way. There are plenty of youngsters, even if they don’t play, it’s a great opportunity for them to learn from seniors like Shikhar. It’s very different worlds – U-19 and A team and this,” Rahul Dravid said.
India Tour of Sri Lanka: Rahul Dravid added that the team for ICC T20 World Cup is already set but there could be 2-3 places up for grabs. While he did not name anyone, of late, both Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav’s places have been questioned due to a string of poor performances.
Also Read: India Tour of Sri Lanka: 4 India stars for whom Sri Lanka tour will be a make or break
Furthermore, Hardik Pandya’s bowling ability will also be tested as selectors consider him only as an-allrounder and not a batsman. He was not named in the England Test series as he was not bowling, something India will depend on in the ICC T20 World Cup. The Sri Lanka series will be a good opportunity for them to get their form back and impress selectors and for their places in the ICC T20 World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan will also need to continue his IPL form to keep his place intact in Team India in the ICC T20 World Cup.
“These are only 3 T20 games before the T20 World Cup. The selectors and management will have an idea by now about what they’re looking for. There is the IPL before the WC. In that sense, there may be 2-3 places the management and selectors might want to fill. So, it will give them a few more options. There might be a few odd spots to be filled,” the former India captain said.
“We have a couple of selectors travelling with us, we’ll interact with them. Had a little bit of contact with the management in England. Didn’t want to disturb them during the WTC final, so will be in touch with them over the next couple of weeks and plan,” Rahul Dravid added.
Also Read:
- Quarantine in India till June 28 (7 days hard and soft quarantine each)
- Fly to Sri Lanka on June 28
- Strict quarantine till July 1
- Practice allowed after July 1
- Sri Lanka quarantine ends on July 5
- 1st ODI of the series start on 13th July
- Intra-squad practice matches before 1st ODI
India’s squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya
Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh
| India’s tour of Sri Lanka, 2021 – ODI series | |||
| S.No. | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 13th July | 1st ODI | Colombo |
| 2 | 16th July | 2nd ODI | Colombo |
| 3 | 18th July | 3rd ODI | Colombo |
| India’s tour of Sri Lanka, 2021 – T20I series | |||
| S.No. | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 21st July | 1st T20I | Colombo |
| 2 | 23rd July | 2nd T20I | Colombo |
| 3 | 25th July | 3rd T20I | Colombo |
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