With two days left for the start of Sri Lanka tour, the Indian cricketers have upped the ante and underwent their first practice session under the lights since landing in Colombo. The team, led by Shikhar Dhawan, will take on the hosts in six matches including three ODIs and three T20Is.
The BCCI shared a picture of the full India squad listening intently to the legendary Rahul Dravid, appointed the head coach for the tour, during the training.
“Time to hit the nets. Our first practice session under lights begins now,” wrote BCCI alongside the picture.
Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who will be vying for a spot in the XI, paid rich tributes to Dravid saying the current squad is lucky to have learnt their cricket from the legendary batter.
“Each and every individual in the India A side or the juniors going into the Indian team have been fortunate to go through a person called Rahul Dravid. We are very lucky to learn our cricket from him,” Samson said.
“I remember going to the Rajasthan Royals trials one day – I batted really well – and he came up to me and asked me a question ‘can you play for my team?’. So, that was the biggest moment of my life, and I can never forget that. That shows how great a human being he is, and I really enjoy his company,” he added.
The ODIs were to start from July 13 but with multiple cases of covid emerging in the Sri Lanka camp, the start was delayed by five days. The entire tour was rescheduled with the ODI series now starting from July 18 (Sunday).
The start time of the matches have also been altered. The ODIs will now start at 3:00 PM (IST) and T20Is will get underway from 8:00 PM (IST).
India have sent a youthful squad comprising several uncapped players who will be making to make an impression. The matches also provide a chance to the players on the fringes to stake a more permanent place in the India squad with T20 World Cup in mind which is scheduled later this year in UAE.
Sri Lanka though are yet to name their squad.
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