The support staff of the Indian team has witnessed yet another inclusion for the Asia Cup 2018, as they have included a left-arm throwdown specialist, Nuwan Seneviratne to the mix for the tournament itself. This will be in addition to the longstanding incumbent, Raghu, who for the record is a right-armer.

As per the reports of The Indian Express, former Sri Lankan pacer has been included in the squad after the request of the team management, among other things, to help the Indian batsmen get acclimatize with the array of left-arm pacers in the Pakistan line-up, including the lethal Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan.

However, there have been reports which are suggesting Seneviratne might get a full-fledged contract as well, based on the feedback the BCCI receive from the Indian think-tank following the Asia Cup, which kicks off on Saturday.

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One of the sources of The Indian Express close to BCCI said, “He (Seneviratne) will be assisting the team only for the Asia Cup. His inclusion is only on a trial basis for now. The BCCI is in regular touch with the Indian team management, and the request to look for a left-arm throwdown especially had come from the team. One more reason for hiring his services was that the Pakistan team has good left-arm pacers. So he’s been brought on board in order to provide our batsmen with adequate practice.”

There is some talk within the BCCI of Seneviratne being in line for a year-long contract if he can impress the team management. The reports in The Indian Express also suggest that the Sri Lankan has been roped in to help manage the workload of Raghu, who’s been with the team for around seven years, and has had to deal with the team’s hectic schedule both home and away.

Seneviratne played just two first-class games as a seaming all-rounder for Colombo Cricket Club. However, he has been involved with Sri Lankan cricket for nearly a decade and has even served as the senior team’s fielding coach briefly.