Irfan Pathan has tweeted a picture of his sons learning India’s national anthem in the game against Sri Lanka. The T20I series between the two sides kicked off on July 25, Sunday.
Having secured the ODI series, India now prepares for the upcoming T20 World Cup. With the regulars being holed up in England, it’s a great opportunity for the youngsters to make their case. Since there are not a lot of places left, they will be vying for similar spots on the Indian squad.
Ahead of the start of the first T20I, the anthems were played which is the routine these days. Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan captured his sons standing up while the Indian national anthem was on before the match against Sri Lanka. The proud father posted it on Twitter indicating the fact that they’re learning.
National anthem 🇮🇳 #learning pic.twitter.com/cnneootCQX
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 25, 2021
Two debutantes each for India and Sri Lanka in the first T20I
Two T20I debutants each from both the teams:
Charith Asalanka and Chamika Karunaratne for 🇱🇰
Prithvi Shaw and Varun Chakravarthy for 🇮🇳.#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/dVK2gvOpZ0— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) July 25, 2021
Prior to the game, the teams Sri Lanka and India announced the debuts of two players on either side. The Lankans brought in Charith Asalanka and Chamika Karunaratne, both of whom impressed in the ODI series. While the former scored a quick-paced fifty in the second ODI, the latter played excellent cameos lower down the order. Chamika also bowled well although the figures don’t necessarily reflect that.
For India, Prithvi Shaw and Varun Chakravarthy were handed their T20I caps. Shaw made his debut in the ODI series that recently concluded. He showed glimpses of his talent but couldn’t convert his starts into something substantial. Chakravarthy on the other hand will be donning the Indian jersey for the first time. It has been long-awaited, being at the receiving end of fitness-related issues for a while. He will be looking forward to deploying his ‘mystery’ deliveries against Sri Lanka.
