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Team India have reached the Lankan shores for an ODI and T20I series of three matches each. With a number of new faces and a few experienced ones too, this Indian team under the captaincy of Shikhar Dhawan and the coachmanship of Rahul Dravid have a lot to look forward to.
With India playing just three T20Is before the T20 World Cup later this year, the series against Sri Lanka has become even more crucial. A number of players have the opportunity to nail down their spot for the showpiece event, while others are in with a shout to make the squad as well.
3 potential India debutants against Sri Lanka
The 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy as well as the IPL 2021 season has led to many players being called up for the first time to the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Let's take a look at three such players who could make their debut in the Island Nation.
#3 Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has already seen a lot of ups and downs in his cricketing career. The world was at his feet back in 2019 when he was picked by the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for a whopping INR 8.4 crore in the IPL auction.
However, one bad game and that was it for the Tamil Nadu spinner's IPL season that year. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) showed faith in him the next season and he has since proved to be a game-changer for them time and again.
In the IPL 2020 season, Chakravarthy picked up 17 wickets in 13 games at a brilliant economy rate of 6.84. He was called up to India's T20 squad for the series against Australia Down Under. However, fitness issues meant that he had to be left out once again.
With seven wickets from seven games in the IPL 2021 season, Chakravarthy has shown that he can be a reliable bowler. He has the experience of bowling against top-quality opposition and that will come in handy against a relatively inexperienced Sri Lanka side. If he plays, he could potentially make the difference for India too.
#2 Chetan Sakariya
Young Saurashtra pacer Chetan Sakariya broke through in the IPL 2021 season. He was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 1.2 crore in the auction ahead of the season.
Sakariya was impressive in domestic white-ball tournaments and brought the same form into the IPL too. In seven games, he picked up seven wickets at a decent economy rate of 8.22. His variations and brilliance on the field were eye-catching and led to a slot in the squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
As the only left-arm pace option in the 20-man India squad, Sakariya might get a dream debut against the Lankans. He would be keen to put his best foot forward if given the opportunity.
#1 Devdutt Padikkal
At a very young age, Devdutt Padikkal had already become one of the most consistent batsmen for Karnataka. This made Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB) retain him for the IPL 2020 season and he repaid the faith shown in him.
In 15 games, Padikkal scored 473 runs and was one of the standout performers for RCB in IPL 2020. His form continued in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy as he smashed a record four consecutive centuries.
Padikkal also impressed everyone in the IPL 2021 season, scoring a flawless ton against RR. This was enough for him to receive his maiden India call-up against Sri Lanka.
With the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw likely to start the tour as first-choice openers, Padikkal might only get his opportunity towards the backend of the T20I series.
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