India's limited-overs squad captained by Shikhar Dhawan is in Sri Lanka for a series of three ODIs and as many T20Is. The visitors won the first two ODIs to clinch the three-match series but lost the third one, where India made wholesale changes.
India made a total of six changes in their playing XI, giving debuts to five players- Nitish Rana, K Gowtham, Rahul Chahar, Sanju Samson, and Chetan Sakariya, while Navdeep Saini was included in the playing XI as well.
The Indian batting couldn’t do much after a rain break interrupted their rhythm and ended on a below-par total, which despite India bowlers’ mighty effort, the Sri Lankans achieved and saved face in the third ODI.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman was surprised with these many changes by the Indian team in one match.
"I am not saying this with the benefit of hindsight or because of the result (India lost the third ODI), but I was a little surprised by the number of changes made to the Indian XI for the final ODI. Agreed, there is loads of talent within the squad and many of the debutants caught the eye, but I’d have loved a little more constancy, especially in the bowling department,” Laxman wrote in his column for The Times of India on Sunday.
Now the two teams will battle it out in series of three T20Is beginning from July 25 onwards, with all matches hosted by R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Laxman further wrote on different bowling options India has and what they need in order to succeed.
"Someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs overs under his belt to hit peak rhythm, as was obvious in the first two games. He would have been better off with another 8-9 overs leading up to the T20I series, which assumes greater significance because it is India’s last outing in this format before the World Cup later in the year," Laxman wrote.
"I also believe Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav should have played the last game (third ODI) and extended their good run because penetrative spin in the middle overs has been a bit of a problem in white-ball cricket for a little while," felt Laxman.
Meanwhile, Laxman was mightily impressed by Chetan Sakariya and Rahul Chahar and wrote, “Having said that, I was impressed with the composure Chetan Sakariya showed on debut, and how beautifully Rahul Chahar bowled, particularly in his last spell. The leggie and Varun Chakravarthy must get a go in all three T20Is if only to provide Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri with greater options ahead of the T20 World Cup."
"Prithvi Shaw again batted with authority, and it didn’t feel as if Sanju Samson was on debut as he too got on top of the bowling. However, both threw it away when well set – not for the first time in Shaw’s case – and India further lost the initiative after the rain break," Laxman added.
Furthermore, Laxman felt that coach Rahul Dravid needs to tell the batsmen, the importance of capitalizing on good starts as in the third ODI, Shaw (49), Samson (46), and Suryakumar Yadav (40) all fell after getting their eye in.
"I am sure Rahul Dravid will sit the boys down and impress upon them how imperative it is to convert starts into big scores, given that there is massive competition for places. Attractive 30s and 40s don’t help the team’s cause; it is notable that apart from Shikhar Dhawan in the first game, no Indian batsman touched 60 at any stage," Laxman analyzed.
The first T20I between Sri Lanka and India will be played on July 25.
(Times of India inputs)
