Shikhar Dhawan I, before leaving for Sri Lanka, captain Shikhar Dhawan chimed in, said – Greatest opportunity for all of us sri lanka series a great opportunity for all of us to showcase our talent says shikhar d

Mumbai: Terming the upcoming series challenging, Shikhar Dhawan, who was picked as the captain of the Indian cricket team for the limited overs tour of Sri Lanka, said here on Sunday that it will give second-class players an opportunity to showcase their skills and make it to the main team.

“It’s a very good team,” Dhawan said in a virtual press conference ahead of the team’s departure in the presence of head coach Rahul Dravid. Our team has positivity, confidence and everyone is confident of doing well. The players are very excited. This is a new challenge, but at the same time it is a great opportunity for all of us to show our skills. Everyone is waiting for it.’

Dhawan said, ’13-14 days have passed since our isolation and the players are desperate to get on the field. We have 10-12 days to prepare. With regular skipper Virat Kohli and the main team on the tour of England, Dhawan will lead the Indian team against Sri Lanka next month. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the vice captain of the team.

India has to play three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka. The tour will begin on July 13 and end on July 25. The Indian Cricket Board has selected a 20-man squad for the tour, which also includes Hardik Pandya and spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

All eyes will also be on the young batsmen Devdutt Padikkal and Prithvi Shaw. The team also has two wicketkeepers in the form of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. Talking about the team combination, Dhawan said, “The players are ready and they are looking forward to play in these matches. These players have already proved themselves in IPL and other tournaments. The left-handed batsman, who is captaining the Indian team for the first time, said, “The team is a good mix of youth and experience.”