BCCI shares picture of Team India’s first practice session under lights in Sri Lanka
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has shared a picture of Team India’s first practice session under the lights in Sri Lanka.
The rescheduled India-Sri Lanka white-ball series will begin with the first ODI in Colombo on Sunday, July 18. The series was supposed to begin on July 13 but had to be postponed owing to COVID-19 cases in the Sri Lankan camp.
On Thursday, the BCCI shared an image of Team India's first practice session under the lights with the caption:
“Our first practice session under lights begins now #TeamIndia #SLvIND.”
In the picture, Team India’s coach for the Sri Lanka series, Rahul Dravid, can be seen giving a talk to the players, with everyone paying rapt attention. Dravid was named coach for the series since the main Team India squad is on the tour of England. The limited-overs team in Sri Lanka will be led by Shikhar Dhawan, who is on his maiden trip as captain of the Indian team.
The start of India’s series against Sri Lanka got delayed after batting coach Grant Flower, data analyst GT Niroshan and wicketkeeper-batsman Sandun Weerakkody tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the white-ball series.
Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur describes Team India as an ‘IPL All-Stars XI’
Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga recently described the Indian squad in Sri Lanka as a 'second string' unit. According to Sri Lanka’s head coach Micky Arthur though, the team led by Dhawan is an extremely talented one and will pose a challenge to the hosts. Arthur told Sportstar:
"We are under no illusion because we know this is a wonderful Indian team. The Indian team is amazing; they have got so many good cricketers - it is like an IPL All-Stars XI. They are an incredible bunch of players.
"For us, it is very much about giving game time to young players, looking at possible combinations going forward. We are very much in a transitional phase at the moment. We are trying out a lot of young players and trying out our best combinations."
Team India will play three ODIs in Sri Lanka from July 18 to 23 and three T20Is from July 25 to 29. All six games will be played at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The ODIs will begin at 3 PM local time and the T20Is at 8 PM local time.