Second-string Indian team? 'Not thinking about it,' says Suryakumar Yadav

The India players who are in Sri Lanka for the upcoming limited-overs series are paying no heed to conversations about them being a second-string team - as Arjuna Ranatunga called them - according to Suryakumar Yadav, who is focused on taking "a lot of positives" from the short tour.

"Not really [thinking about being a squad of non-first-choice players]. Everyone is completely focused," Yadav, 30 but still a newbie at the international level, said on Tuesday. "The way the practice sessions are going, the way the [intra-squad] game went yesterday, it's going completely fine and we're really excited about the challenge.

"We're just here to have some fun, enjoy this series completely, and take a lot of positives from here."

The squad, on tour even as the expanded Test squad gets ready for a five-match series in England after finishing the World Test Championship final, features as many as five players who have earned their maiden call-ups to the national team, and a string of others who are new at the international level - like Yadav. He made his international debut earlier this year at home in a T20I series against England, but, in many ways, is among the senior-most players in the touring party.

"That [England] was a different series. This is a different series. But the challenge remains the same - I've to go out and perform the same way I did," he said. "So pressure will be there because if there's no pressure, there's no fun. It'll be a great challenge and I am really looking forward to it.

"Every year I've learnt something different from all my team-mates [at the Mumbai Indians]. That tournament is a great learning every year. It really helps me wherever I am playing. If you sum up, it's a great learning process and it has obviously helped me gain a lot of experience."

The bedrock of Yadav's game as an attacking batter in the IPL has been his ability to be innovative on slow pitches just as well as he is on true batting surfaces. India are scheduled to play all their games at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and tiring pitches are more than likely to be a feature as the series begins on July 13.

"From a conditions perspective, we play in similar conditions in places like Mumbai and Chennai, where the humidity is high," Yadav said. "Most importantly, we have come here 15-20 days before the series to acclimatise to these conditions. We are adjusting well. Talking about the pitches, the surface for the intra-squad game [on Monday] was really good, and I hope it stays the same. If there are slow pitches, you need to take time and apply yourself. It will be a good challenge and I am really looking forward to it."