A Second-String Indian Team Coming Sri Lanka Is An Insult To Our Cricket: Arjuna Ranatunga
Updated - 02 Jul 2021, 06:16 PM
Former Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga has expressed his unhappiness with the country’s cricket board. Arjuna Ranatunga’s dissatisfaction has emerged from Sri Lanka’s cricket board agreeing for India to send their second-string team to the Island nation to play ODIs and T20Is. Sri Lanka and India will lock horns in three ODIs and as many T20Is, starting from the 13th of July.
India’s first-choice players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami would be in England prepping for the five-Test series against England. Hence, Shikhar Dhawan will serve as captain, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar would be his deputy. The squad also contains plenty of players receiving their maiden call-ups based on their IPL and domestic performances. Rahul Dravid will replace Ravi Shastri as the coach for this tour since the latter is also in England.
On the other hand, the state of the Sri Lankan team is far from promising as they have struggled in the last few years to replace the quality players they had. They succumbed to their fifth T20 series defeat in a row after England whitewashed them. Sri Lanka, who lost the ODI series on the English shores, have also faced disciplinary issues as three cricketers were sent home for breaching the bio-security protocols.
India sent their best team to England and sent a weaker side to play here: Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga believes that the second-string Indian side coming here is a humiliation to their cricket and blamed the board for arranging the series to fulfil their television marketing needs. The 1996 World Cup-winning skipper pointed out that India sent their first-choice players to England and sent their weaker outfit to Sri Lanka. Ranatunga feels that the board is responsible for the same.
“This is a second-string Indian team and their coming here is an insult on our cricket. I blame the current administration for agreeing to play with them due to television marketing needs. India sent their best team to England and sent a weaker side to play here. I blame our board for that,” the 57-year old said as quoted by The Indian Express.
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