Pointers For India In Quest Of Perfect Blend

Saini and Shardul had impressive outings; Rahul strengthened his case; Shreyas back in form

- Ashwin Achal

Navdeep Saini and a few others in the Indian team are locked in a race against time. With the ICC T20 World Cup set to commence in around nine months, every performance counts if they hope to board the flight to Australia.

Saini entered the T20I squad to take on Sri Lanka with big expectations. The fast bowler had to make the most of the chances afforded by the absence of Mohammed Shami (rested), Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar (both injured).

Saini made it count in the second T20I here on Tuesday with a thoroughly impressive performance. He bowled at a terrific pace and showed great control as well.

Wide repertoire

A pinpoint yorker went past Danushka Gunathilaka before he could even bring his bat down. Saini proved that his repertoire was not limited, using an equally quick bouncer to prise out Bhanuka Rajapaksa.