'I’m Jealous That India Are Actually In This Position' : Russell Arnold Talks About India's Depth And Talent Pool

Former Sri Lanka middle-order batsman Russell Arnold hailed the quality Indian team possesses even as they have six uncapped players for their upcoming series. India largely named plenty of fringe players, including newcomers ahead of their forthcoming white-ball leg against Sri Lanka. Russell Arnold admitted to feeling jealous of the overall quality and experience the tourists have.

Despite the absence of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah, India boasts of enormous depth across departments. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side, comprising of the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and many others. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid will coach the side in Ravi Shastri’s absence.

Russell Arnold said he feels jealous seeing India having an enormous amount of depth and quality across departments. The cricketer-turned-commentator remarked that the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav have a wealth of experience, while the youngsters are exciting prospects too. Arnold further stated he would like to see the youngsters step up, knowing there is no Rohit or Virat.

“I just feel jealous that India have those cricketers. Even this team, we’ve seen them play. We’ve seen the quality they bring. There is a lot of experience too in Shikhar Dhawan, the Pandyas, spinners Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. There’s a lot of exciting prospects. We also know about the youngsters and what they can do. The question for the India team would be, can these youngsters actually perform on their own knowing that there is no cushion of a Rohit or Virat. Can they take that next step? It will be exciting to see. Like I said, I’m jealous that India are actually in this position,” Arnold told Hindustan Times.

It comes down to what you have and what you want to prove: Russell Arnold

Russell Arnold continued saying it would be interesting to see how many of them do get opportunities, given the talent India has in the squad. But 47-year old warned an under-pressure Sri Lanka that whoever plays, would be dangerous.

“There is Padikkal, Gaikwad. When we look at the batting, there is a lot of talent. Will they look at it as an opportunity and will they push the seniors? It comes down to what you have and what you want to prove. You can sit back and think I’m a part of it, I’ve got my opportunity and that’s fine, this attitude will not take you far. Hunger is what will make the difference. It’s hard to give names right now because we don’t know who is going to play from the big squad of 20. But whoever plays, we know can be dangerous,” he added.

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