India captain Shikhar Dhawan said the team management will have a "great opportunity" in the Sri Lanka series to experiment with the player pool ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Speaking at a virtual media interaction ahead of his maiden assignment as captain, Dhawan said India will be focused on fielding its best 'XI' and further inclusions of select individuals will be taken into consideration after discussions with the senior management.
"I have had no chat with Ravi (Shastri) bhai or Virat (Kohli) so far. I am sure Rahul Dravid or the selectors would have interacted with them and the message will be conveyed to us," said Dhawan.
"Every series from here on will be played with the T20 World Cup in mind. So, of course, if the selectors or Ravi bhai or Virat feels to try certain players, we will carry it out with a mutual understanding because this series presents a good platform to experiment."
While Dhawan remained tight-lipped about the team combination and his opening partner ahead of the series opener, he iterated the spin combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will come to the fore in the series.
READ |
"They both share great chemistry, they have won so many matches for us. Even Rahul Chahar is a great spinner. We have good spinners in this squad. I am sure you will see them doing well and taking a lot of wickets in this series," said Dhawan.
The 35-year-old also acknowledged the competition for the opener's slot ahead of the marquee T20I tournament in October and affirmed good performances from any individual could put them in the reckoning.
"This series is important. Any series we play for India is important. Even if there was no World Cup in the coming months, it wouldn't have mattered. Every player wants to give his best. There is a competition for the opening slot. I want my team to do well in this series. If we perform well, then further doors will open," he said.
India will take on a new-look Sri Lanka side led by Dasun Shanaka in the first ODI on Sunday in Colombo.
Comments
SHARE