BCCI shares photos of Sri Lanka-bound uncapped players from Mumbai
The BCCI has shared some photos of the Sri Lanka-bound 'young Indian brigade' from Mumbai.
The seven pictures included Devdutt Padikkal, Krishnappa Gowtham, Chetan Sakariya, Nitish Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakravarthy, R Sai Kishore, Ishan Porel and Varun Chakravarthy, all in gym attire.
The uncapped youngsters, who have risen steeply from the ranks of domestic cricket and the IPL, are currently in quarantine in a plush hotel and have recently started their high-intensity training.
They'll play three ODIs and as many T20Is in Sri Lanka under the tutelage of captain Shikhar Dhawan and head coach Rahul Dravid.
The BCCI also announced the release of a 'special feature' with these youngsters, which will most likely involve some fun interviews and team bonding sessions.
Of these, pacers Porel, Warrier and left-arm off-spinner Sai Kishore are not part of the 20-man main squad but will travel with the team as net bowlers.
Punjab Kings left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh and Delhi pacer Simarjeet Singh will also get their first opportunities as net bowlers with the national side.
Sri Lanka tour to kick off from July 13
After the completion of a riveting World Test Championship (WTC) final on Wednesday, Indian and Sri Lankan fans will have to wait a few more weeks to see cricket return to their television screens.
India's limited-overs tour of the island nation will kick start on July 13 with three ODIs followed by the T20I series from July 21.
All matches will be played in Colombo. The series has a lot at stake with regards to players, given the ever-so-nearing T20 World Cup in October-November.
Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Rahul Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav, among other fringe players, all have the opportunity to grab the attention of the sectors and book their berths for the marquee tournament.
Another closely observed factor will be Dravid's coaching style. The batting legend is revered for helming the development of India's robust bench strength through his astute management skills.
It will be interesting to see how his second assignment with the national side pans out in Sri Lanka.