SL vs IND 2021: "I just feel jealous that India have those cricketers" - Russell Arnold on Team India's bench strength
Former Sri Lankan batsman Russell Arnold has stated that he is envious of India's bench strength. Team India have picked a vastly different side for their upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka with as many as six uncapped players in the squad.
Even without several of their big stars, who are currently preparing for the upcoming five-Test series against England, India are seen as the favorites to beat Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series and three ODIs.
While Arjuna Ranatunga said India sending their second-string side is an insult to Sri Lankan cricket, Russell Arnold claimed he is jealous of the options India have at their disposal.
In an interaction with the Hindustan Times, the former Sri Lankan batsman said:
"I just feel jealous that India have those cricketers. Even this team, we’ve seen them play. We’ve seen the quality they bring. There is a lot of experience too in Shikhar Dhawan, the Pandyas, spinners Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. There’s a lot of exciting prospects."
Arnold added that it would be interesting to see how the Indian youngsters perform, knowing that they don't have stalwarts in their ranks to rescue them if things go wrong. He explained:
"The question for the India team would be, can these youngsters actually perform on their own knowing that there is no cushion of a Rohit or Virat. Can they take that next step? It will be exciting to see. Like I said, I’m jealous that India are actually in this position (of having so many quality players).”
Russell Arnold predicts his stand-out performer from the upcoming India-Sri Lanka series
Russell Arnold reckons Prithvi Shaw will get a good run of games while choosing the Indian opener as someone who will entertain everyone with his batting. For the home team, Arnold believes Avishka Fernando could star with the bat.
The 47-year-old said:
"For Sri Lanka, I will go with Avishka Fernando at the top of the order. Let me go outside the box with India. Of course, you will be looking at Dhawan and Pandyas to perform but I’m thinking Prithvi Shaw might get a run. Helpfully he will prove me right by entertaining everyone."
The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka will be played in Colombo tomorrow. Sri Lanka recently announced their 25-man squad, with Dasun Shanaka set to lead them. Fast bowler Lahiru Kumara has made a comeback in white-ball cricket, with his last ODI appearance coming in 2019.