India’s different-looking yet formidable team will take on an under-fire Sri Lanka in the six-match limited overs series, beginning with the first ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
Expect Prithvi Shaw, Vijay Hazare Trophy’s top scorer to open alongside Shikhar Dhawan, seniors Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are expected to find automatic positions in the playing XI. However there are multiple contender for other slots.
Ahead of the three-match ODI series opener, captain Dhawan has pointed out a few similarities as well as differences between head coach Ravi Shastri and stand-in coach Rahul Dravid.
“They (Dravid and Shastri) both have their own qualities and they both are very positive people. I have spent time with Ravi Bhai (Ravi Shastri) and their ways to motivate are different,” Dhawan was quoted as saying during a press conference on Saturday.
“Ravi Bhai’s energy is a bit strong, whereas Rahul Bhai (Rahul Dravid) is very calm, composed, and strong as well, so everyone has their own way and I enjoy playing under both of them,” he added.
After bidding farewell to international cricket, Dravid has served as the head coach of India U-19 and India A teams in the recent past. He is also currently the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Speculations are rife that the former India skipper is set to take over from Shastri as soon as the latter’s coaching tenure ends, after the T20 World Cup this year. Under Shastri’s mentorship, India have won several series across formats, but couldn’t end their 8-year-long drought of lifting the ICC trophy. Hence, experts of this fascinating game believe that Dravid would be the ideal replacement of Shastri as the former had guided India U-19 team to ICC Cricket World Cup triumph in 2018.
