Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer on Saturday (July 17) declared that the Indian Cricket Team are favourites to win both the ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka, despite not having several main players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah in the side for the upcoming series.
Kohli is in England with the Indian team for a Test series while Shikhar Dhawan is named captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series and as many T20Is against Sri Lanka starting on July 18.
However, India’s squad for the Sri Lanka series features several experienced stars like Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, but it is still seen as a young and “second-string” side with as many as six uncapped players – Chetan Sakariya, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, and K Gowtham in the ranks.
Well, Jaffer admitted that it is a second-string Indian side, but at the same time, stressed that it is a very strong team with a lot of talent and potential and are favorites to win both series in Sri Lanka.
Jaffer said on his Youtube channel, “Even though it is a second-string Indian side and a lot of main players are missing, I would still say the Indian team is the favorite to win both the trophies - the T20I and ODI. We are blessed with such good talent and potential, I would say the Indians are favorites to win both series. It's a very strong team, there's no doubt. A lot of these players are ODI regulars: like Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvi, and Yuzvendra Chahal.”
He further explained, “A lot of exciting players have been selected as well: Prithvi Shaw is back, Devdutt is another exciting talent, Ruturaj Gaikwad has got a chance, Varun Chakravarthy is in this team and Sanju Samson has made his comeback as well. I would like to watch these guys, especially when the T20 World Cup is around the corner. It's a great opportunity to watch these young talents perform.”
The former batsman also said the youngsters will learn a lot of things from Rahul Dravid, head coach on the Sri Lanka tour, saying the legendary batsman is the right mentor for the players.
He signed off by saying, “Moreover, with Rahul Dravid being their coach I'm sure the players will get a lot to learn, not only about cricket but all those things which are necessary for the journey of a cricketer. Rahul Dravid will be the right mentor for these youngsters.”
