Kris Srikkanth advises Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag to fight back through domestic cricket

To force their way back into the national side, the axed trio of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag should keep the fighting spirit alive and get back through good performances in domestic cricket, former captain and chairman of selector Kris Srikkanth said on Thursday.

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Srikkanth said not losing self belief was key to any struggling player looking for a comeback.

"They are young players with lot of talent. Positivity is key to their comeback. They have to fight. They should look to domestic cricket in the next season. Such comebacks have been made in the past and I am sure, they can do it," Srikkanth told PTI.

"There will be lot of cricket ahead, so that's their chance," he said.

Gambhir, Yuvraj and Sehwag are not part of the Indian squad, which will fly to England for the Champions Trophy.

The conditions in England would be completely alien to what Indians cricketers are getting while playing in IPL but Srikkanth said that won't affect the players much.

"The best thing is that the players are playing cricket consistently. They are in good form. And after IPL, they will reach England in time, so getting used to conditions won't be much of a trouble," he said on the sidelines of the launch of an e-learning programme English Strokes, a collaboration between British Council and his company.

Srikkanth was of the view that India along with Pakistan and England would be top contenders to lift the title.

Talking about his IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, Srikkanth said they stand a "good chance" to make the knockout stage.

"It's a close fight. But we are right up there. We lost to Chennai last night. but it was one of those bad days. I am confident, we will bounce when we play Kings XI Punjab next.

"There is still lot cricket left. And I am confident, we will make the semis," he said.

Hyderabad are placed fifth in the table behind Royal Challengers Bangalore.