IPL exposure benefits Indian youngsters, says Dinesh Karthik

Cuttack, Dec 19 (CRICKETNMORE): Indian batsman Dinesh Karthik says the Indian Premier League (IPL) gives youngsters a lot of exposure that readies them for the national team.

Keeping the South Africa tour in mind, India have rested some key cricketers for the three Twenty20 Internationals starting on Wednesday against Sri Lanka. 

They have included rookies like Basil Thampi, Deepak Hooda, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Washington Sundar and felt they can make use of their chances during the course of the series.

"It's a great opportunity for all the young boys coming in. I'm sure these are exciting times for the young boys. I'm very confident that they will make best use of the chances given to them," Karthik said at the pre-match press conference.

"All of them have come with a lot of IPL experience behind them -- some have played 20-30 games. They are not as perturbed as they used to be in earlier days. It gives them a lot of confidence to come into the international set-up."

The Tamil Nadu stumper said that India are willing to explore new talents in the shortest format of the game.

"The ODI side is settled. We are trying to assess how each one reacts to different situations. These are great platform for a lot of young guys to come in and showcase their talents. 

"As senior players, we just try and help these young guys as much as possible," said the 32-year-old.