INDIA vs SRI LANKA: Hits, Opportunities and Misses
India won 2–1 in the ODIs, while Sri Lanka won 2–1 in T20Is. What was supposed to be a cakewalk, in the buildup earlier to the series, where the experts billed a 6–0 whitewash, this margin of 3–3 could have been a shock and surprise to many of them. But, it was the external factor(COVID) which was the reason for India’s undoing in the last 2 T20s, the decider more so due to India succumbing to quality leg spin by Wanindu Hasranga, who is deservingly the Man of the Series in the T20s. Plenty of positives for the team in the ODI setup with very little flab, while there was a mixed bag in the T20s, with both positive aspects and negative aspects.
POSITIVE ASPECTS:
- Ensuring enough backups for 2021,2022 and 2023 WC:
The ODI Series and T20 series threw in a lot of new faces, relatively new faces, who were ready to showcase their talent, and out of that, Rahul Chahar has been the standout performer with the ball, taking wickets in tough situations, and he opens the possibility of being a third spinner after Chahal and Kuldeep, who are likely to be in the T20 squad. Another player I loved watching was Suryakumar Yadav, both in the ODIs and the T20s. He was solid as ever, his feet moving in the direction he wants to, his strokemaking, his 360 degree shots, and with Kohli claiming that he wants to open, the No 3 slot would be ideal for a player like Suryakumar Yadav to exhibit his skills. Added to that, Krunal Pandya’s steady bowling, both in ODI and T20, and his exploits with bat make him a contender for a backup all-rounders slot.
I personally was glad with the way Prithvi Shaw was aggressive, but still, treating each ball on its merit. His mode of dismissals might come up as throwing away his wicket, but he was a delight till he stayed in the crease. For a single bowling all rounder’s slot, there will be a heavy competition between Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur, after the former’s exploits in the second ODI that gave India a series win.
2. The return of KulCha, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar:
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar would rue for the fact that a solitary six he conceded has cost India a series loss, but beyond that, he was largely good in his bowling display, except in the first ODI, where he went for runs. In the T20s, his swing, his pace, his line and nagging length were back, as he used his swing and accuracy to good use.
More than Chahal, I was happy the way the ball came off Kuldeep’s hands. He was not considered as the lead spinner post the 2019 World Cup, and personally he would be relieved the way he bowled. Chahal proved that the Australia and England series were just aberrations, and he bowled with good amount of control. They couldn’t amass a lot of wickets because of constant changing of sides, but they would be happy with their performances.
THE BIG MISS: SANJU SAMSON and MANISH PANDEY
Sanju Samson, despite having 4 matches(1 ODI, 3 T20I)to showcase his potential of being a good wicketkeeper batsman, couldn’t replicate his domestic exploits and was found wanting against quality leg spin in the T20s. Especially in the 2nd and 3rd T20I, when the stage was set for him to perform, he perished early. It is probably not the end for Sanju Samson, as he has age in his side, but with humongous competition, and Ishan Kishan arriving in International Cricket in style, its a long road for Samson to get a call-up again.
With the case of Manish Pandey, except for the 2nd ODI, where he had an unfortunate run out, he could kick himself for not finishing the line in the 1st ODI, while he wasn’t able to prosper India to a challenging total in the 3rd ODI. Unlike Samson, Pandey doesn’t have age on his side, and by the looks of it, it seems like the end of road for him.
WHAT THE FUTURE LIES AHEAD?
Many debutantes were thrown in for India, and out of them Chetan Sakariya and Varun Chakravarthy were largely impressive in the opportunities given to them, and many can be expected from them in the coming years. Also, I was impressed by the way Devdutt Padikal batted in the second T20I. Despite scoring only 29, he was largely comfortable on a sluggish pitch, and used his height to good effect. There was also Rituraj Gaikwad, who was solid at the top, with some dreamy drives through the covers. All I would wish for them is by giving them ample chances in domestic, IPL and International Cricket so as to get an exposure for them.
