Sri Lanka vs India: Shikhar Dhawan brings up traditional thigh celebration upon winning the toss

Shikhar Dhawan and his epic celebrations are a constant. Known to be always jovial, the southpaw has a unique way of celebrating his landmark moments on the cricketing field, be it centuries, taking catches or even by winning just a toss.

He is currently leading the team in the absence of the first-choice skipper Virat Kohli and other players in Sri Lanka. Dhawan has started his captaincy career with a bang by winning the three-match ODI series already. But one thing that eluded him was winning the toss in the first two games. While the Lankan Lions batted in both the games, fans and experts wanted to see the Men in Blue have the first go and score a big total.

Well, the wish came true in the third and final ODI on Friday (July 23). Dhawan finally won the toss and celebrated it by his customary celebration of putting one hand on his thighs and lifting it with nonchalance. He also signaled to his teammates and seemed pretty happy about finally getting to bat first in the ODI series.

#TeamIndia have won the toss and they will bat first #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/51qWQOtePK

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) July 23, 2021

India hand debuts to five players in the third ODI against Sri Lanka

With the Men in Blue having pocketed the ODI series, many expected them to make changes in the lineup. While speculations were rife that Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad might get a look in, it turns out head coach Rahul Dravid has handed debuts to the others as Sanju Samson, Rahul Chahar, Nitish Rana, Chetan Sakariya, and Krishnappa Gowtham will get to play their first game.

While it was expected that Samson will get a look in, nobody saw the other three players making the cut. With an opportunity presented, all five players will be raring to go and make an impression in the last ODI. With the series already sealed, there won’t be any pressure on the five debutantes. All these players can express themselves and press their case for inclusion during the T20I series too.

While Samson has been on the selectors’ radar for quite some time, the likes of Rahul Chahar, Sakariya, Rana, and Gowtham are relatively new.