Team India has recently won the ODI series against the hosts, Sri Lanka, with 2-1 and both sides are gearing up for the upcoming T20I series between them at Colombo. The second-string Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan said that the team management is ready and will try out new faces but only if they fit into the best combination of playing 11.
During the 3rd ODI Team India has went on with an entirely new setup and interestingly they have bought in 5 new comers and skipper Dhawan indicated that they will be experimenting with new men like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakravarthy, and Devdutt Padikkal in the coming T20I games.
In a recent interview, he said – ” New guys definitely have the opportunity to play. We have to win the series. In the last ODI, there was a good opportunity to give some youngsters a chance and give them a taste of international cricket, because we had already won the series,”
He also added – “Now it’s a new series, so we will of course go in with our best XI first. We will try to win the first two matches, and then according to the situation, we can experiment in the last game if needed,” Dhawan said.
Dhawan has agreed that the Indian Premier League has made the young guns ready for international cricket and said – “Of course they are ready, that’s why they are here. As you saw, youngsters have performed so well in the ODI series, so they’ll be taking that confidence ahead in the T20I series. You will see them perform really well.
He also added – “As a team, we have created an amazing environment over here. Really looking forward to do well as a team. Not just the youngsters, even the senior players are looking forward to it. The changes in the team will be as per the situation.”
Speaking about the team combination, Dhawan has expressed that – If we win two matches, we are more than happy to give a chance for the freshmen, and our main goal is to play with any combination.
Dhawan has also appreciated Sri Lanka and said – ” He also feels that the current Sri Lankan team has shown a marked improvement through the ODI series. I think the competition will be good. You saw the Sri Lankan team improve a lot in the last two matches. They played really well and they are a good team, with a lot of youngsters.
