Indian youngsters are not as perturbed as they used to be in earlier days: Dinesh Karthik

The final ODI of the India v Sri Lanka series at Vizag ended up rather being a one-sided affair. The Indian team crushed the Sri Lankan bowlers to register an emphatic 8-wicket victory and further extend their dominion over the Islanders. The teams will face each other once again in the final leg of the bilateral series which includes three T20Is starting from December 20 at Cuttack.

The Men in Blue will feature a new look with three uncapped players set to make their debut in the opener. With star skipper Virat Kohli being rested, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian squad will see the debut of Basil Thampi, Deepak Hooda, and Washington Sundar on Wednesday’s opener at the Barabati Stadium. The likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Mohammed Siraj are also low on experience.

Speaking about the crop of uncapped players, India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik said that the youngsters are not “perturbed” anymore. Karthik feels that the IPL has been clinical in nurturing these players and have prepared them for the big stage. The 32-year-old veteran believes that their IPL experience will hold them in good stead in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

On the eve of the T20I series opener, Karthik said, “All of them have come with a lot of IPL experience behind them — some have played 20-30 games. They are not as perturbed as they used to be in earlier days. It gives them a lot of confidence to come into the International set-up.”

He added, “I’m sure these are exciting times for the young boys. I’m very confident that they will make best use of the chances given to them. It’s a great opportunity for all the young boys coming in.”

India to play in Barabati stadium for the second time

This will be a second T20I at this venue after India’s first outing turned out to be a disaster having folded for 92 against South Africa in 2015.

The abject batting surrender frustrated the crowd who resorted to pelting water bottles on the ground.