Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur knows very well that no Indian team can be taken lightly even if they don’t have the big names in their squad for the upcoming series starting July 18.
Eyebrows in Sri Lanka were raised when former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga slammed the country’s cricket board and the Indian team for sending a second-string side to Colombo for the upcoming 6 white-ball games. Ranatunga has since been subjected to criticism from all quarters.
India will be led by Shikhar Dhawan and coached by Rahul Dravid on the tour in the absence of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, who are in the United Kingdom with the Test squad preparing for next month’s series against England.
But Arthur knows very well that even the players who have come to Sri Lanka are capable of beating his team in 50-over and T20 cricket.
“We are under no illusion because we know this is a wonderful Indian team. The Indian team is amazing, they have got so many good cricketers – it is like an IPL All Stars XI.
“They are an incredible bunch of players, and for us, it is very much about giving game time to young players, looking at possible combinations going forward,” Arthur told Sportstar before admitting that he actually feels a bit jealous of the “stocks at India’s disposal” even when the big names are not available.
“They are incredibly talented and I often feel that they are Galacticos (laughs). They rock in and have a lot of IPL experience and they all hit the ball hell of a long, long way.
“Indian cricket is in a strong position and that’s because of the structure they have put in place way back and also because of the talent they have.
“These guys are wonderful players and I am often awed by the talents that are available for the selectors, Ravi Shastri or a Rahul Dravid. I can’t help but get a bit jealous at the stocks they have at their disposal,” Arthur said.
Sri Lanka will host India in a series of 3 ODIs and 3 T20 internationals from July 18.
The series was supposed to begin from July 13 but had to be pushed back by 5 days after two Sri Lanka’s batting coach Grant Flower and video analyst GT Niroshan tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the entire squad to go into isolation for a longer period than expected.