Former India opener Gautam Gambhir thinks Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka would have been the hottest choice if the ongoing series had come before the IPL auction.
“I will have no money, he would be so expensive, as he has struck. That’s what the auction is all about,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
“Imagine if this series had just happened before the auction, some franchises probably wouldn’t have had the money to buy it.”
Shanaka was unsold in the IPL auction, but the Sri Lanka captain has a great run. He has amassed 101 in two matches with an incredible batting frequency of 206.12 and the all-rounder has also taken two wickets in the second T20I. Shanaka smoked a 27-ball 45 in the first T20I and followed it up with an unbeaten 22-ball 56 in the second game.
As expected, Sri Lanka put up a solid fight to the hosts. The reigning Asia Cup champion came back strongly to level the series. However, they would like their middle order to perform better. The decider will be played in Rajkot on Saturday.
Rajkot is one of the flattest courses in the country and is expected to be a batting belter. So the coin toss could play an important role as both captains would like to chase.