"We have youngsters who can fill the shoes of the senior bowlers" - Virat Kohli's childhood coach lauds Indian pacers Shivam Mavi and Umran Malik

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has lauded Indian pacers Umran Malik and Shivam Mavi for their outstanding performances in the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, January 3.

Sharma emphasized that both Mavi and Malik have shown that they have the potential to fill the shoes of senior fast bowlers in the national team. He opined that the two youngsters have the talent to go a long way in their careers.

The veteran coach stated that the emergence of Mavi and Malik is a wonderful sign. Highlighting their impressive performances against Sri Lanka, Sharma claimed that the future of Indian fast bowling is very bright.

Speaking to India News Sports, Sharma said:

"It was wonderful to see Shivam Mavi and Umran Malik bowl in this fashion. This shows that the future is bright for Indian cricket. Umran is definitely going to be a superstar in the future, and now we have Mavi, who was exceptional in his first outing."

He added:

"We must laud the selectors for giving these youngsters a chance to play against strong opposition. We have youngsters who can fill the shoes of the senior bowlers. There was a time when it appeared that there was a shortage of good fast bowlers in the country. But seeing these two, it is now certain that our future is in safe hands."

Playing in his debut T20I match, Mavi bagged a stunning four-fer to dent Sri Lanka's chances of chasing down the Men in Blue's total of 162. Malik too chipped in with a tidy spell, picking up two crucial wickets as the Hardik Pandya-led side eked out a thrilling two-run victory.

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"Our youngsters handled the pressure really well" - Reetinder Singh Sodhi on India's win

During the discussion, former cricketer Reetinder Singh Sodhi highlighted how the new-look Indian side performed admirably under pressure to clinch victory in their first T20I encounter.

He applauded the team's youngsters for stepping up against a strong Sri Lankan side. Sodhi stated:

"India were on the back foot at one point in the match. But our youngsters handled the pressure really well, winning crucial moments. We could have done better, but all is well that ends well. Sri Lanka are an experienced side, and our youngsters came to the fore to trump them."

Rajkumar Sharma further went on to say that Hardik Pandya and Co. winning their first match of the year could do wonders for their confidence. He noted that it isn't a mean feat to beat a side like Sri Lanka, especially in T20 cricket.

He elaborated:

"It was a fantastic win for Team India and we have started off the year on a positive note. It's good to see the team get this win, considering that we have been struggling of late. It was good to see a young side beat Sri Lanka, who are the Asian champions, and a very strong team in this format."

The home team has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series thanks to their victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The second fixture is set to be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday, January 5.