Sri Lanka tour a good opportunity for aspiring cricketers: Venkatapathy Raju

"With the T20 World Cup around the corner, a good performance in this series would help the cricketers to stake a claim in the Indian team," said the former left-arm spinner

Hyderabad: Former left-arm spinner SL Venkatapathy Raju feels the coming one-day and T20 series in Sri Lanka is a good opportunity for aspiring Indian cricketers.

“Although a few have already played for India before, it is a nice chance for aspiring cricketers to impress the selectors. Of course, cricketers who are out of the main team can make a comeback with strong performances in this series,’’ said Raju, who is part of the Telugu commentary team of Sony TV.

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With the T20 World Cup around the corner, a good performance in this series would help the cricketers to stake a claim in the Indian team. “We have a pool of talented cricketers. So I think they should take this as an opportunity and be positive as anything can happen. We always wait for an opportunity and this series has given a window for the aspiring and comeback cricketers.’’

Raju felt Rahul Dravid has always been a serious cricketer. “Apart from understanding the nuances of the game, he also understands the mentality of the players. These players are lucky to have someone like Rahul as coach. We saw him as an under-19 coach and most of the players were with him here. The players should be relaxed and comfortable. It will be a great learning experience for these players.’’

Shikhar Dhawan, according to Raju, is the senior most player and competent enough to lead the team. “He is a seasoned cricketer and he too would like to be among runs.’’

For Raju, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still the best bet in white-ball cricket. “He had an injury problem but he was the No.1 bowler for India in white-ball. He is a brilliant swing bowler but injuries played a spoilsport.’’

With so many matches coming up as per Future Tours Programme, a strong show by these cricketers in Sri Lanka could see them making a comeback or making into the team for the first time. “The rotation policy will come at some point of the long ICC programme as so many tours are coming up in the future.’’

Raju signed off by stating Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav to come good in this series. ‘’I want him to do well as he is a match winner. It is all about confidence.’’

Watch the 1st ODI on 18th July 2021 Live on Sony Ten 1 and Sony Six in English and Sony Ten 4 in Telugu from 3.00 pm IST.

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