Team India had a wonderful ODI series against Sri Lanka, where they won 2-1 and also had a host of youngsters who proved their mettle at the biggest stage. In the first ODI it was Ishan Kishan impressed with a fifty on debut, while in the second it was Deepak Chahar’s turn to impress as he scored 69 runs to take the team to an improbable win. Come the third ODI, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar showed why he is the future of Team India.
![a baseball player holding a bat on a field: India vs Sri Lanka: Virender Sehwag Makes Big Statement About Indian Batsman, Says Could be End of Road in ODIs]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAMvY6T.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=638&y=248"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAMvY6T.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=638&y=248"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAMvY6T.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=638&y=248"}})
But apart from the positives, there were a few players who failed to impress. One of them was seasoned batsman Manish Pandey, who after all these years hasn’t cemented his spot in the team. He returned with a string of poor scores. According to former India opener Virender Sehwag it might well be the end of Pandey in ODIs.
“Here was an opportunity for Manish Pandey and even Hardik Pandya for that matter. Both had scored some 15-20 runs so they disappointed me more. In this three-match series, if anyone got the most benefit, it was Pandey. He played all three matches, and got the chance to bat, and on all the three occasions, the situation wasn’t challenging either that he had to accelerate,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“So, I believe Pandey has disappointed me the most. Perhaps he may no longer get a chance in ODIs for India, and even if he does, it is going to be a long time. Since he lost the opportunity to score in these three matches, he’s fallen behind in the pecking order. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have scored runs so these two will be considered ahead of him in the middle order.”
On the other hand, Sehwag defended Prithvi Shaw, who did not get a fifty in the series, but did look outstanding till the time he was at the crease.
“I understand that when a player is in touch, he would want to score more but it sometimes happens that you cannot read the game properly, like it happened with Shaw. He probably did not expect the ball to come to him so quickly and rap him on the pads,” Sehwag added.
