'Result of lot of hard work': Dravid on Suryakumar, Kishan's ODI debut
Jul 18, 2021
Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 18 : Rahul Dravid, Team India head coach for the Sri Lanka tour on Sunday welcomed Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in the ODI setup as the duo made their debuts in the first ODI of the three-match series against Sri Lanka.
The official Twitter handle of BCCI shared a video in which Dravid can be seen welcoming Suryakumar and Ishan in the ODI setup.
"It's obviously a great achievement, it's lovely to welcome two people into the family. It is a result of a lot of hard work, it is a really proud moment for them but also for their family. Double celebration for Ishan Kishan today as it is his birthday," said Dravid while addressing the team huddle before the start of the first ODI.
Ishan Kishan was handed his debut cap by captain Shikhar Dhawan while vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar handed the cap to Suryakumar Yadav.
Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat against India. India might have picked a plethora of young guns for the Sri Lanka series but the visitors will still start as favourites in the ODI series.
Despite the absence of star players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah, India is well ahead of Sri Lanka considering the visitors' squad comprises of Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar and Deepak Chahar.
India playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan(w), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav
Sri Lanka playing XI: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka(w), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan