The India vs Sri Lanka limited over series is about to begin less than a fortnight. A lot of younger players will be a part of this series as the main and senior players are busy in England. Hence this tour is a great chance for fringe players who want to make their presence felt in the Indian cricketing circles.
A total of 20 players are a part of the Indian squad for Sri Lanka. While few senior players are certain to get a chance in almost all the games, it will be a competition amongst the others to get a spot in the playing 11. Shikhar Dhawan will be leading the side and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is his deputy so these two will definitely play. Moreover Hardik Pandya and Yuzi Chahal are also likely to walk in the playing 11.
With such a tough competition it is easy to believe that not everyone will get a chance in the the team. We take a look at 5 such players who might struggle to get a chance in the playing 11.
Ruturaj Gaikwad –
A 24 year old batsman from Maharashtra, he debuted for his state team in 2016. While his stats in First class cricket are not the most outrageous, he has shown talent in List A and T20 cricket. An average of 48 and 33 in the two formats is a testimony to that. Moreover he has impressed everyone in the IPL while playing for Chennai Super Kings.
However with Dhawan and Shaw all set to open the innings, Gaikwad may not get a chance to play at all in the team.
K Gowtham
A spin bowling allrounder from Karnataka, he has been knocking the doors of Indian team since a long time. Gowtham is a consistent performer for Karnataka and IPL teams for many years now. Now he has got a chance to be a part of Indian squad for this tour. But with Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya already set to play as allrounders in the team, Gowtham may not get a look in.
Navdeep Saini
Saini may miss out in the team due to a lot of fast bowling choices. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar and Chetan Sakariya are the three fast bowlers who would get a chance in the team in all likelihood.
Sanju Samson
Samson’s biggest competition is Ishan Kishan for the wicket keeper’s spot. Samson has had an ordinary career so far in international cricket. In contrast Kishan had a great start to his career. Moreover he hit a 50 in his debut T20 game. Hence Ishan Kishan should be able to be a part of the playing 11.
Varun Chakrvarthy
A mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu, he might miss out from the team due to a plethora of spin bowling options in the team. Yuzi Chahal, Rahul Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav are ahead of him in the pecking order of the team mangement. Hence Varun getting a chance in the playing 11 looks difficult.
