Shikhar Dhawan will be leading the second-string Indian side on the tour of Sri Lanka. The squad comprising mostly of uncapped players as well as rookies will take on the island nation in a limited-overs series consisting of three ODIs and three T20Is.
As the leader of the side Dhawan’s mantra will be about keeping the boys together and keeping them in a good state of mind. “It is a big achievement for me that I have become the captain of the Indian side. As a leader, my idea is to keep everyone together and happy that is the most important thing,” Dhawan said on Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’.
“We have got a lovely bunch of boys, great support staff, and we have worked earlier as well.”
Shikhar Dhawan will also find assistance from the legendary Rahul Dravid who will be India’s coach on the tour of Sri Lanka. The two share a great chemistry back from when Dhawan played against him in Ranji Trophy to featuring under him during his India A days.
“I have a good relation with Rahul Bhai. When I started playing Ranji Trophy, I played against him, and I have known him since then. When I went to play India A match, I was the captain, and he was the coach, so there was interaction.
“When he became the director of NCA, we used to go there for around 20 days, so we had a lot of interaction, and now we have good chemistry. And now that we have the chance to play six matches together, so it will be great fun, and I think we all sync nicely,” he said.
Cricket fans all around the world will take a close attention at the talented youngsters who will get to wear the jersey of Team India for the first time on this tour.
Several of these players have made tremendous strides in their careers during the IPL and will hope to produce similar confidence on the international stage. Dhawan wants the youngsters to enjoy their journey.
“Happy to get the youngsters in the team and see their dreams come true. It’s a big thing that these youngsters have come from their respective home towns with certain dreams, and their dreams are getting fulfilled.
“And now, they should enjoy the journey which landed them in team India, and they should know the value of their strength and how to improve it,” he said.
