Sri Lanka tour: Shikhar Dhawan not concerned about Ranatunga’s second string jibe
Our goal is to win the series, not to play all players available, he says
Colombo: Former Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga’s comments about the Indian team in Sri Lanka ‘second string’ does not bother skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who said that they are going for victory against a young Sri Lankan team.
“I feel this Sri Lankan team is a young team and they have got good players. If they feel it is a second [string] team, that is their feeling. We will go ahead and play Sri Lanka. It is an international match. We have to seize the opportunity,” said Dhawan during an interaction with the media on the eve of the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
Dhawan said having as many as six spinners in the limited-overs squad here for the three ODIs and three T20Is does not mean everyone will get an opportunity and confirmed that only the best will get to play as the team is aiming to win both the series.
“We have not thought on who will play how many matches. [We will play] the way a series is played. Our goal is to win the series. We have to field the best playing XI. We will play the spinner we feel will perform the best. It is not like that if we have got these many, we will play all of them,” Dhawan said.
Too many spinners?
India are in Sri Lanka with leg-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy, off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham, left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya and Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav.
Former national selector Sarandeep Singh had recently criticised the current selection panel for picking six spinners, saying it will be impossible to play all of them and carrying so many will put unnecessary pressure on the established duo Chahal and Yadav, who have won many matches for India in the past.
“They both share great chemistry, Kuldeep and Chahal. They have won so many matches and so many series for us and they are bowling really well and even Rahul Chahar is also a great spinner. We have got a bunch of boys who are bowling well. They are on top of their game and fitness and yeah, I am sure you will see them doing well and taking wickets,” Dhawan said of his premier spinners.