Varun Chakravarthy may debut as India’s starting 11 against Shri Lanka in the T20I series.
The spinner Varun Chakravarthy is waiting for the international debut as a formidable India, with a galaxy of powerful IPL artists, starting as overwhelming favorites against Sri Lanka in the inaugural T20 International here on Sunday.
Having lost a game in the ODI series, Shikhar Dhawan’s men would seek to do better against Sri Lanka with a team that is ahead in almost every department.
Coach Rahul Dravid, however, will want to see Chakravarthy, who can pitch outside of breaks, carrom ball, and also take deliveries from right-handers, having shown his prowess in the Indian Premier League.
Having missed an away series in Australia and a home series against England due to problems related to poor physical condition and injuries, the 29-year-old Chakravarthy will like his fairy tale story to continue even as the Indian team you are looking for roulette for the T20. World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Chakravarthy, a skilled architect, was more of a tennis ballplayer, turning to cricket seriously much later in life and earning his stripes through a great performance in the competitive Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). , which earned him his first IPL contract.
His is a beautiful story and if he could make it to the T20 World Cup squad, it would be nothing short of spectacular, given that he is not the product of a structured cricket system.
The other debut could be one between Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, both of whom had proven to be IPL performers. With Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav set to go to England, the team management may not risk playing with both players.
Padikkal’s elegance is highly anticipated in the international arena and you will get a good guide on the Dhawan skipper, who has picked up his T20 game in the last two IPL editions.
Both Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are expected to be included in the game XI from which Manish Pandey, after an indifferent T20 series, will be eliminated. The Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, are automatic picks in this format.
Bhubaneswar Kumar and Deepak Chahar, after a well-deserved break, will be back in the mix and Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to join Krunal and Chakravarthy in the slow bowling department.
For Sri Lanka, the first victory against India in an ODI at home after nine years could be just the change the country’s cricket ecosystem needs after being in shambles for years.
Dasun Shanaka is a young captain but he is trying to be instinctive on the field, but with some quality players like Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, and Avishka Fernando in their ranks, they would try to pose a quality challenge for the Indians.
Akila Dananjaya and Raveen Jayawickrama’s bowling in the last match suggests that the worn fields of Premadasa will hold on and provide some spin as well, although dew in July will not be a factor.
Squads:
India: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju- Samson (Wicket -Samson) guardian), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dhananjaya De Silva, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Binuram Fernahanedam Chamantika Sanmantika, Binuram Fernandomeda Sanikamantika , Akila Dananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana.
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