Suryakumar Yadav will be the player to watch out for in Sri Lanka tour, says MSK Prasad

In May, BCCI announced that India will fly to Sri Lanka in July to play 3 One Day Internationals and as many T20Is, with the contigent set to comprise only white-ball specialists. However, while the board is yet to name a squad for the tour, senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma being engaged in red-ball duty till September 10 means that a host of IPL stars are bound to get a chance to shine.

Of late, there has been an influx of debutants who have done well for India, and Prasad opined that the modern-day players are high on confidence in contrast to the players of his time. Suryakumar Yadav could be the best example, as Prasad mentioned, as he started his career by launching England pacer Jofra Archer for a six over fine leg. 

“Simple example: first ball, Suryakumar Yadav, gets an opportunity to play in a T20I game, smashes one of the best bowlers in the world for a six. Or Ishan Kishan, the way he blasted the opposition (England) on debut.”

Prasad further credited National Cricket Academy (NCA) Director of Operations Rahul Dravid for grooming and shaping the young generation of Indian cricket and preparing them for future challenges. Under Dravid, India won the 2018 ICC U-19 World Cup and have seen many youngsters like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Mohammed Siraj contribute effectively in the Indian colors.