SL vs IND 2021: Aravinda de Silva picks three Indian players to watch out for
Aravinda de Silva reckons Ishan Kishan, Devdutt Padikkal and Chetan Sakariya will be the Indian players to watch out for in the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. He believes the three have a great chance to prove their mettle.
India have picked six uncapped players on their roster for the Sri Lanka series. The contest starts tomorrow with an ODI encounter in Colombo. In an interaction with Manorama, Aravinda de Silva was asked to pick three players to watch out for from India to which he replied:
"There are some incredibly talented youngsters who proved their mettle in the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League. It will be a big opportunity for the likes of Ishan Kishan, Devdutt Padikkal and Chetan Sakariya to make a positive impact. Kuldeep Yadav too will get a chance to revive his career."
With Sanju Samson also in the squad, there has been a raging debate over who among Ishan Kishan and Samson will don wicketkeeping gloves for India. Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar backed Ishan Kishan to play that role while VVS Laxman reckons Sanju Samson should play over Kishan.
"There is no way you can call any side a second string"- Aravinda de Silva
Aravinda de Silva has defended the BCCI's decision to send a young side to the shores of Sri Lanka. Arjuna Ranatunga's recent comments regarding Sri Lankan cricket accepting to host a "second string" Indian side only for "television and marketing needs" made waves.
However, de Silva stated that the BCCI has every right to send whatever kind of team they feel like, especially for trying out new players with the T20 World Cup around the corner.
"The governing body for cricket in a country has complete authority over selection of teams for foreign tours. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might be looking to strengthen the reserve group and give youngsters a chance to play international cricket. As there are only a few months left for the T20 World Cup, the BCCI might be keeping that too in mind. So there is no way you call any side a second string," he said.
Sri Lanka recently named three uncapped players on their roster for the series against India. Dasun Shanaka is set to lead the Islanders, with Kusal Perera being ruled out due to an injury.