India vs Sri Lanka 2020: Virat Kohli hints at a surprise inclusion in T20 World Cup squad
The Indian bowlers completed a clinical performance as they restricted Sri Lanka to just 142-9 in their 20 overs and chased down the target comfortably. Kuldeep Yadav made his claim in the starting eleven stronger, while Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini stepped up in the absence of Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The latter was adjudged the Man of the Match as he bagged figures of 2-18 off his four overs, exhibiting some fine skills and sheer pace that was tough to handle for the batsmen.
Virat Kohli was extremely happy with the way Saini has performed and evolved as a bowler ever since his debut against the West Indies. He also hinted at a possible surprise inclusion in India's T20 World Cup squad.
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The Indian skipper said in the post-match presentation ceremony,
"Navdeep has come into the ODI circuit as well, he is gaining more confidence in T20 cricket. You can really see him letting himself go. When he does that, he can clock those speeds which he did. It's great to see him getting people out with yorkers and bouncers and with pace. It's a really good sign for the team.
"You'll have to figure out who are the people that are very similar in their bowling skills, and you pick the senior one. I think one guy will be a surprise package going to Australia, someone who can bowl with pace and has bounce."
Kohli also mentioned Prasidh Krishna, who has been impressive for Karnataka in the domestic cricket and also playes IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Indian skipper was satisfied with the depth of the Indian fast bowling and believed that there was a big enough pool to choose from for the T20 World Cup.
Kohli continued,
"Prasidh Krishna has done well in the domestic arena as well. This group of bowlers, it is a great luxury to have in all formats. Looking at the big World Cup, we have enough options."
The third and final T20I of the series will be played on Friday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.