A new era is all set to begin for the Indian cricket team in a few days’ time when they take field against New Zealand in a three-match series of the shortest format, starting on November 17 in Jaipur. After a disappointing campaign in the World Cup, India have made sweeping changes to their squad which also includes resting some of the main players including former captain V Kohlii.
India's disappointing campaign in the World Cup was largely based on the fact that their batsmen did not deliver against tougher opponents in Pakistan and New Zealand, and even though they were absolutely clinical against other teams such as Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia, India did not have enough to make it to the semi-finals round.
Kohli had already announced before the tournament that irrespective of India's fate and outcome, this would be his last competition as the captain. Kohli will now enjoy an extended period of rest given that he is also likely to miss the first match of the two-Test series against the Kiwis, which will be played after the three white-ball matches.
Plenty of young talent
The series against New Zealand will witness India fielding a very young and inexperienced team, Since senior players in V Kohlii, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur have been rested, whereas star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been reportedly dropped from the side. A lot of confusion still persists around the role that Pandya can play in the team, having played in the T20 World Cup as a specialist batsman when he is expected to deliver the goods as an all-rounder. Pandya’s fitness is also a concern given that his back trouble prevented him from bowling in the Indian T20 League completely, while in the World Cup he did send down a few overs.
India have named uncapped players in Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan who all impressed in the Indian T20 league 2021. While Iyer is an all-rounder for his home side Madhya Pradesh, Team Kolkata used him as an aggressive opening batsman in the second leg of Indian T20 league -- a move that proved to be a masterstroke. Iyer showed rich pedigree and promise of being a raw talent that needs to be harnessed and developed into an all-round asset, which India so desperately seeks.
Harshal finished with most wickets for any uncapped India bowler with 32 dismissals for Team Bangalore in Indian T20 League 2021. Harshal relies mainly on the variations that he can produce which includes plenty of slow bowling, whereas the right-arm Madhya Pradesh and Team Delhi fast bowler Avesh Khan has been one of the finds for the Indian fast bowling unit over the last few seasons. Avesh has been a part of touring squads to England and Australia in the past one year as a nets bowler, but more importantly, someone who is next in the line.
The Indian team also has some very exciting talent in the batting department in the form of Chennai and Maharashtra player Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and even Mohammed Siraj.
Is R Sharma the best choice?
To state this as explicitly as possible, there could not have been any better player or choice for captaincy of the Indian team than R Sharma. A five-time title winner with Mumbai in the Indian T20 League, he has a proven track record of being a successful captain in the shortest format, someone who marshalled his troops and resources extremely well while he himself remains a dangerous batsman at the top of the order.
As far as it was between Kohli and Rohit, the debate always lingered on the former’s inability to win a global competition trophy while he was facing stiff competition from within the squad. The additional responsibilities of leading the Indian team in other formats also played a key role in Kohlii deciding to step down and make way for R Sharma, who has won the Indian T20 Cricket League with Mumbai for a record five times, in which he was captain on all occasions.
The fans and critics both of the Indian cricket team were always of the opinion that Kohlii should relinquish captaincy responsibilities in favour of R Sharma, who has had better success as captain of a team in the shortest format of cricket. Now, with R Sharma at the helm, it remains to be seen what fate has in store for the Indian cricket team which has also gone through sweeping changes in the coaching department.
More changes…
In KL Rahul, India could not have found a better vice-captain. For someone who has improved immensely over the last couple of years across formats, Rahul remains one of the most important players in Indian cricket. His ability to switch between formats effortlessly combined with the trait of being calm and composed on the field while facing adversity makes him a delight to watch. Rahul is also a tidy wicketkeeper behind stumps.
With Rahul Dravid coming in as the head coach of the Indian team and other coaches also likely to join in soon, it remains to be seen what kind of approach India adopt for the shortest format in which they are considered one of the best, but that has not translated into titles that continue to elude them.
India’s T20I squad vs New Zealand: R Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.
Devarchit Varma is a cricket writer and journalist with an experience of more than a decade, having worked at Hindustan Times (newspaper) and CricketCountry (website). Along with covering international and domestic cricket, he has also interviewed several current and former top players such as Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Dale Steyn, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Lasith Malinga and many more. He has also worked in other beats as a journalist in Bollywood (Reliance BigOye) and IT (SiliconIndia) industries.
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