Rahul Dravid urged patience during T20I series against Sri Lanka

• India lost by 16 runs to Sri Lanka in second Twenty20 International.
• Dasun Shanaka was named Player of the Match.
• Arshdeep Singh struggled on his return to international cricket.

Rahul Dravid, Indian head coach, For their home T20I series against Sri Lanka he is much concerned about patience. Dravid has a rotating lineup and has pleaded for tolerance while the team’s future stars find their footing.

India lost by 16 runs against Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 International in Pune, with touring skipper Dasun Shanaka named Player of the Match following a brilliant performance with bat and ball. The season finale takes place on Thursday in Rajkot.

Bowling discipline was scrutinized in the defeat at the MCA Stadium, with wides and no-balls contributing to a Sri Lankan score of 206/6. India battled with the bat early in the reply, reaching 34/4 thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s (51 from 36 balls) and Axar Patel’s efforts (65 from 31 balls)

Arshdeep Singh struggled for his run-up on his return to international cricket, bowling three no-balls in his first over before bowling two more in his death-over return. He concluded with 0/37 from two overs as Sri Lanka took advantage of the extra opportunities.

Dravid was quick to defend Arshdeep and the youthful bowling group, stating that experience will give rewards.

“Nobody wants to bowl wides and no-balls in any style of the game, but certainly not in T20.

“Young children will have games like these at times, and I believe we all need to be patient with them, (but) we also need to recognise that games like this cannot occur.

“I believe that learning is difficult for them. Learning in international cricket is difficult. You must pick things up on the job. With these folks, I believe we will need to exercise some patience.”

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