Months after India men's cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri declared the unit's bench strength as a good headache, the Men In Blue are now ready to field to two different squads, who would be taking part in series at two different continents. While Virat Kohli and other seniors will be engaged in national duties in England in the traditional format of the game, a bunch of other senior members along with a few limited-over regulars will fly to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series.
Shikhar Dhawan, who is not part of the 20-man squad announced for the Tests in England, is most likely to be seen donning the Blue jersey to take on Sri Lanka in the limited-over format. The left-handed batsman, who is also one of Team India's mainstay for the opening slot, in all possibility is likely to be handed an additional responsiblity to lead the side, something which even seamer Deepak Chahar would like to see.
The 28-year-old in an interview to The Times of India said: "Shikhar bhai will be a good choice (for captain). He has been playing for a long time and has a lot of experience. For me, a senior person should become a captain. Because players see that player as a senior and respect him and obey him with honesty. Players should respect their captain. He (Dhawan) will be a good choice.”
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Chahar is expected to be part of the unit that will travel to the island nation and he will possibly find support from Navdeep Saini and seasoned cricketer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The trio are not part of the Indian squad for the four-month tour in England.
Meanwhile, Chahar himself is 'confident' of delivering in Sri Lanka, after experiencing a decent outing in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League, which got suspended midway due to COVID-19 cases emerging within the bio-bubble. The seamer, who plays for IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, went on to claim eight wickets from seven games.
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"I am all set for the Sri Lanka tour. I bowled well in the IPL. I was in good touch. I am excited to play in Sri Lanka. In my opinion, experience gives you a lot of confidence. I have experience now and I am confident of a good showing in Sri Lanka."
"I am sure we will emerge victorious against Sri Lanka. Our second-string team is looking as strong as the main team. We have a lot of options," added Chahar.
