Sri Lanka tri-series a good opportunity for young players to show their mettle: Sunil Gavaskar

After putting up some terrific performances against South Africa in the limited-overs series, which also won them their first ever bilateral series win in the Rainbow Nation, Virat Kohli’s Indian team is now in Sri Lanka for a T20 tri-series for which the Indian skipper, along with MS Dhoni, has been rested. India’s lesser tried options in Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Hooda and Rishabh Pant will gain an opportunity to deliver and try to find a spot in the team for the 2018 World Cup.

Pant, who has played just two T20 internationals, and Mohammed Siraj, who also has played only two T20Is, will get a golden chance to deliver. It has been argued for long that wicket-keeper batsman Pant should be given a place in the team over an inconsistent MS Dhoni. However, Sunil Gavaskar believes that the series provides a golden chance for the youngsters to deliver.

Youngsters need to step up

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, in his column for TOI, felt that it is perfect time for the youngsters to prove themselves. “India has decided to rest their star players after the arduous South Africa tour and this gives an opportunity to some young players to show their mettle… and that they are ready for international cricket,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar wrote for the Times of India.

Dinesh Chandimal will lead Sri Lanka in the absence of Angelo Mathews. The third among the three Asian teams in the contest is Bangladesh, who, according to Sanjay Manjrekar, can put up a good fight. Bangladesh performed well in the tri-series last month which also featured Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, but eventually lost to Sri Lanka in the final.

“The Nidahas trophy gives Bangladesh another chance to show its wares to the biggest cricket viewership in the world – India. As the years have gone by, Bangladesh has slowly become a stronger force, this has a lot to do with the improving physical strength and fitness and of course self-confidence of their players,” Manjrekar wrote in his column for TOI.

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